Tucked away in the shadow of the beautiful Matanuska-Susitna Valley's most prominent mountain, Pioneer Peak Farm has been run by the Pyrah family for more than three decades. Being as we have never been to a U-Pick, this was a pretty exciting place for us.

Each row was identified with what was growing, how to harvest it and the rules about how to do it. For example, the minimum size on a cauliflower is 6".
We’re in the thick of rhubarb season, where the ubiquitous plant is showing up in pies, crisps and desserts all over Alaskan kitchens, restaurants, and Farmers Markets. What we've learn is that it is so easy to grow here, and so prolific, that just about everyone has their favorite recipe, be it something sweet or savory or even drinkable. How’s that for food diversity? Wild stuff.
The various greens were absolutely gorgeous.


Quiz time: Do you know what this flower grows on? The white potato plant! Isn't it fantastic?
The farmer didn't want us digging up the potatoes ourselves so she dragged this ancient harvester behind her tractor, revealing the delicious tubers for us to pick up from the soil.


Steve is outstanding in his field.
So this farming business was new to us. We had no idea that broccoli flowers in such a beautiful way.
This is not a good thing, for us who wanted to pick some. Ideally, broccoli must be harvested while the tiny buds are tightly closed. If the buds begin to swell or show yellow (the flower petals), the head must be cut from the stem right away, no matter how small it is, because the opening buds have a mealy texture. As you can see, much of this field was not harvested in time, but boy did it make for a colorful view.