Unalakleet's new greenhouse sends its first harvest to the elders

The first harvest from Unalakleet's new greenhouse is going to the elders. Volunteer manager Cassandra Johnson plans to bring pickles made with fresh dill, along with tomatoes and potatoes, to the Elder Lunch Program run by the Native Village of Unalakleet.

It's the village's first growing season in the structure, which went up this spring once the snow melted. Johnson started the plants from seed back in March, keeping them alive in the Covenant Church auditorium until the ground was ready. Now cucumbers are climbing the trellises, and basil, dill, lemon balm, brussels sprouts, tomatoes and potatoes are all in the soil. Students from the school planted the potatoes and gave each one a name — in the fall, they'll come pick the ones they named.

"I feel like us Natives appreciate food more when it comes from the land, especially having fresh produce and knowing where it came from," Johnson said.

She's trying to grow more than vegetables. Johnson wants to rekindle interest in farming among young people — Unalakleet was once the region's biggest farming hub — and for now she's handing out free seeds and fertilizer so families can garden at home. She's hoping to add a dehydrator to preserve the harvest through winter and start a program that gives out young plants ready to transplant.

The greenhouse came through Kawerak's Environmental Program, which has been distributing winterized kits — designed with a Nome building supplier — to villages across the Bering Strait region. Seven have received one so far. "The intention of the project is to allow communities to develop food security on a local level," said Kawerak Environmental Director Anahma Shannon, "especially where fresh produce is rare." Kits are still available to interested communities through Shannon's office.