One Town: Wasilla

Wasilla, Alaska, has been in the news lately, which made us wonder how folks there weather the long, dark winters. Nestled in a fertile valley framed by magnificent mountains, Wasilla was settled in Gold Rush days - and is now home to many modern-day "pioneers." We chatted with Penzeys spice buyers in Wasilla and asked them to share their recipes and stories with us. Some are natives who grew up in Alaska, others are "transplants" who followed their professions from the lower 48 to the Last Frontier. Still others were lured to this northern wilderness - with its great beauty and bountiful wildlife - out of a spirit of adventure and a sense of fierce independence. But one thing binds them together - those who make their homes here find much to cherish in this awe-inspiring land.

Sandy Weihs

Sandy Weihs is big on Alaska - and with good reason. Not only is the state she calls home the biggest in the United States (twice as big as Texas), but it has spectacular mountain peaks, awesome glaciers, over 6,600 miles of coastline, the largest national forest in the country, and the kind of wildlife that many people see only in zoos.

"We love Alaska for its beauty and its bounty," writes Sandy from her home near Wasilla. "This is an absolutely gorgeous mountainous area with abundant wildlife and fertile ground. The Matanuska Valley area we live in is an agricultural community with lots of local farmers who raise livestock and many, many vegetables. We love the fact that we live in an area away from the hustle and bustle, yet close enough to get to the town/city of Wasilla and Anchorage.

"Our garden is about 100 x 50 feet and is fenced in, otherwise the moose will get our veggies!" she reports. "We grow nearly everything you can imagine - several varieties of potatoes, green beans, peas, snow peas, carrots, beets, turnips, rutabagas, spinach, Swiss chard, cabbages, kohlrabi and much more. We freeze vegetables and make our own sauerkraut, as well as raspberry and currant jams.

"We also love to fish and ice-fish in lakes, rivers and the ocean. We like to catch halibut and dig clams. In the summer, we ride bikes, hike, ride 4-wheelers, putter around in our boat and pick berries and wild mushrooms in the surrounding woods.

"Our friends know us for the 'fruits of our labor' - we share many, many things, from homemade jams, jellies and sauerkraut to halibut, smoked salmon, smoked turkeys (a tradition for holiday gift-giving) and more!

"We see moose regularly in the winter," adds Sandy. "We've had porcupines in the currant bushes, black bears wandering the woods near our greenhouse, eagles flying overhead, spruce hens in the driveway and loons on the lake."

Sandy, who works in radio sales for Clear Channel Communications, might not have known about Alaska's beauty if it weren't for a friend from the area.

"We moved here in 1984 from Nebraska at the urging of a very good friend who had ties to opening a fine dining restaurant. My husband Larry was recruited to work there," says Sandy who adds that Larry currently manages a company that does contract food service for remote sites such as mining camps, oil workers and the Alaska Railroad.

Their son Connor is busy year-round in competitive sports - football, basketball and soccer. The family enjoys all kinds of winter sports, too. "We can literally walk out our door in winter and snow-machine and cross-country ski," notes Sandy.

A favorite year-round activity for the Weihs family is cooking. They share several recipes here, including Awesome Fish Wraps, Tuscan Halibut and Thrilla from Wasilla Chili - all guaranteed to warm up winter!

Menu:
Sandy Weihs
Tuscan Halibut
Thrilla from Wasilla (It's -60° Outside) Chili
Awesome Fish Wraps