By Lisa Demer
When Sarah and River Bean cleared old timber to start their farm near Palmer more than two decades ago, one of their first chores was recruiting customers for the coming harvest. It was a way to build a base of buyers and make their love of farming a viable business.
Their customers, in turn, got fresh vegetables all summer long.
Turns out the Beans were on the leading edge of what's now a hot trend in Alaska. In a state once known for dreary produce aisles and few fruit options, customers from Adak to Anchorage are turning to a growing number of farm-to-table delivery services. Some are spending hundreds of dollars a year in exchange for boxes packed with local or organic produce.
In Anchorage, maybe you've seen a Full Circle truck pull into your neighborhood. Or stacks of Glacier Valley boxes at businesses around town waiting for customers to pick them up. Or people lined up in a downtown neighborhood every Wednesday afternoon for just-picked produce from the Bean family's Arctic Organics farm.
Business is growing fast in Alaska, say subscription produce operators, who charge anywhere from $35 to more than double that for a weekly box of fruits and veggies.
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