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Food & Drink in Alaska covers the state's food traditions, from subsistence harvest and Indigenous foodways to breweries, restaurants and food festivals. It takes in food security programs, farmers markets, and Alaska Grown agriculture across rural and urban communities.

Cover image for article: Tuluksak School's new hydroponic tower is growing tomatoes, onions and basil

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Tuluksak School's new hydroponic tower is growing tomatoes, onions and basil

by Cale Green · draft by Walter AlaskaNews(2w ago)
1 min readTuluksak, Alaska

Tuluksak School has a new hydroponic tower, and it's already planted with tomato and onion starter pods, the school's food service coordinator, LuAnn Miller, wrote in the state education department's November school meals bulletin.

Green onions and basil started in a smaller unit are thriving, Miller wrote, and will move into the main tower in the coming days. The school expects a harvest soon.

"Our students have been highly engaged, enjoying the opportunity to observe the progress of this project first-hand," she wrote.

A federal Patrick Leahy Farm to School grant paid for it. The Yupiit School District, based in Akiachak, won $219,107 for the project this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The district calls it Elitnaurat natlugniritut naunranek nertuameng, or "students growing strong eating plants/vegetables."

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About Food & Drink

Food and drink in Alaska takes in the state's food traditions, from subsistence harvest and Indigenous foodways to breweries, festivals and farmers markets. It sits within people and culture and reaches rural and urban communities alike.

Food security is a recurring thread, from greenhouses and hydroponic gardens that bring fresh produce to rural schools and villages to food sovereignty work and federal support for local meat processing in a state that imports most of its food. Benefit and meal programs such as SNAP, child care meal reimbursement, and free meals and pantries in Anchorage are part of it too.

Rules shape the subject as well, including liquor licenses and limits on homemade food sales. Foraging for berries and mushrooms and seasonal events such as Oktoberfest and local food festivals mark the year.

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