Mountain Field Farm Blooms in Palmer

This sponsored content is published in our Edible Alaska #24, our Summer 2022 issue.

Situated above the quaint, walkable town of Palmer, Mountain Field Farm is ringed by the mountains of the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. Dozens of flower varieties, including fields of peonies, dahlias, anemones, and sunflowers, grow beside the vegetables that make this Alaska valley famous.

Everything on the farm is grown using organic methods. Owner Sarah Phipps grew up on this land and purchased it from her family four years ago to save it from development. “I knew how beautiful the soil was,” she says, “and I just couldn’t imagine it being paved over. I knew how easy it was to grow things, between the all-night sun and the thick glacial loam topsoil. It’s so rich, it’s like cake batter.”

One of the first things Phipps did was talk to the Alaska Farmland Trust about donating a conservation easement on the farmable land. The first area landowner to donate an easement, she felt like that alone was a huge accomplishment. “If I hadn’t done anything except save our small farm and hopefully inspire other people to save the larger farms in the valley, I would feel like I succeeded.”

Phipps worked that land alongside her family growing up and she feels a strong connection to others who farmed it before her. “My grandfather purchased the land in 1967 from the Eckerts who homesteaded it as part of the original colony homesteader’s program in the 1930s. The barn was built by the Eckerts.” The barn has been turned into a stunning home that can be rented out by the night. There are two lodging options on the property, sleeping up to eight guests if rented together. “We are also a wedding venue in the summer and host quite a few weddings,” Phipps says.

The farm produces their own honey in collaboration with beekeeper Alex King, of Royal Alaskan Honey. This year they will have 40 hives at the farm. Phipps notes, “The bees are very happy and the honey is delicious. They love the flowers and thrive because we don’t use any sprays or chemicals. We also have a lot of clover and fireweed and our cut flower fields bloom well into fall.”

Last fall the farm added Farmersdottir, a small farm stand, gift, and flower shop. “We are open year-round, we sell our bouquets, pickles, honey, and produce in season. We dry flowers in the fall and make wreaths and arrangements. We also carry the work of local artists and makers, and other local food options, as well as all kinds of gifts and cards from artists around the world.” September 9, 10, and 11, 2022, the farm will host a Vintage Fair with vendors, food trucks, and live music. “We sell a lot of bouquets that weekend, fresh from the field, right before the frost. People walk away with armfuls of flowers.”

To learn more about the venue, lodging, Farmersdottir, farm tours, workshops, and special events visit mountainfieldfarm.com or follow Mountain Field Farm and Farmersdottir on Instagram and Facebook. Shop at Farmerdottir Wednesday through Sunday, 11 AM–6 PM, 13100 E. Scott Road Palmer, Alaska.