March 2024 Mat Su Great Lander

Why do Alaska high-schoolers choose GILA?...

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1 OPPORTUNITY: GILA is an accredited high school, FREE to any Alaska resident student (age 15-19) in grades 9-12. Focused studies allow students to pursue a variety of career pathways such as small engine repair, UAV piloting, welding, nursing, and more!

2 COMMUNITY: Students are given the opportunity to co-exist in a residential community with over 200 other peers!

3 SKILL-BUILDING: Having a specialized skill is invaluable—and offers advancement to higher education or entry into popular job fields. GILA graduates have landed excellent careers in study-related industries, and we’re proud to report that many of our students take these skills back to their villages and small towns across Alaska.

4 CULTURAL EXPERIENCES: Speaking of skills...GILA students not only enhance academic portfolios, but also gain experience that builds character and knowledge of local traditions woven throughout our extracurriculars and programs.

CTE PATHWAYS:

5 “IT’S REALLY FUN!” Our students tell us some of their favorite takeways are life-long friendships made at GILA... From ice fishing on the frozen Yukon, to stories around the bonfire, and bonding over skinning a moose, the experiences are unmatched!

27

years of

market in March, how do I get my house to look good during breakup? Signed, Muddy Shoes

Dear Muddy Shoes, Good Question! Here are some simple ideas that will help you with this very local problem.

1) Bench or Chair: Set up a place in your home for potential buyers to remove their shoes –like a bench or a chair in the entryway. Some older people have balance problems and having a chair can make all the difference when putting on and pulling off shoes. Something simple, and we can provide you with a sign that says “please remove your shoes”. This can be on the front porch before entering or just inside the front door if you have room.

2) Shoe Covers: We can provide you with disposable shoe covers so that people don’t even have to take off their shoes. This will keep the mud down and make it easy for your potential buyers as well.

3) Rug: Keep a non-slip rug next to the chair or bench. This will catch any bits of gravel or sand and keep it away from “sock feet”. This also keeps the entry looking nice for the next showing.

4) Clear Walk Way: keep your walk way as clear as possible and free from snow and ice, and free from Dog Bombs! For some reason, my dog likes to “go” where it is most convenient for him! That usually means on the walk way. Keeping this area clear will make your home look more inviting.

5) Lock Box Placement: Ask your listing agent to put the lockbox on the front porch for easy access for your buyers. Sometimes, the buyers realtor will have to trudge through the snow to get the lockbox around the side of the house. This doesn’t look good to potential buyers.

6) Well Lit! keep your walk-way, entry well lit as

we still have some dark days ahead. Leave the exterior lights on when you go to work, and the main enter light on all day for showings. You can place a post it note on the switch asking the Realtor to leave this light on.

7) Friendly Driveway: touch up that driveway with a “clean up” plow. Just mark the actual location of the driveway, if you can, by making it crystal clear as to where the actual driveway is located when all the snow and ice are gone.

8) Check Your Crawlspace: pop open your crawl space hatch and make sure there is no water in there. Springtime can be the time where a normally dry crawl space can look like a wet bar! If you need to add a sump pump, do it! Water in the crawl can cause mold to grow and you don’t want that can of worms.

9) Warm and Cozy: Keep the house warm. Potential buyers are coming in from the cold, a warm and inviting house (especially if the wind is blowing) can be a welcomed oasis –the comfort of your warm home can be just what it takes to capture that buyer.

10) De-Smell-ify: Sometimes, especially in winter months, we are not able to get rid of the smells from cooking, pets, TEENAGERS! Because we are not opening the exterior doors as much. But airing out the house is pretty important. Sometimes, my dog’s bed is just overwhelmingly gross and smelly, wash that thing! Take the cover off

and wash it. The dog won’t like it but you will! Also, teenagers’ rooms, open the window just a skosh, and air it out. Don’t use air fresheners! Many people are allergic to those scents and are turned off right away or think you are covering up something. Also, turn on your fans in the morning, bath fans, kitchen exhaust – run them for 30 minutes. This will help.

11) Kitty Litter: not for kitty, but for the walkway, provides a grip on the ice and absorbs moisture. Some people use salt, but if you have concrete walkways, it can damage the surface.

12) Dog bombs: there are services that clean this up for you! They will come out and clean up all the doggy droppings at a reasonable price. If you need names of these companies, call me and I will get them to you. But, as we all know, for some reason as the snow melts, the doggie-doodles are set apart on tiny little ice pedestals for us to admire!

13) General Clean Up: there are tree limbs and old Christmas lights and trash bags and dead pumpkins from the fall... all kinds of annoying stuff like that. The best practice is to pull it all together and burn it or dump it. This will make a big difference in your yard’s appearance.

14) Front Porch: Literally your first impression! Keep the front porch clear of toys, bikes, firewood and if it’s a small front porch, have nothing on there but a rug, if it’s a large front porch, decorate a bit with spring colors.

Okay, there you have it. Remember, everyone listing their home in the spring has the same issues, but now you know the answers! You’re Welcome! Remember, experience matters! Call me if you want to buy or sell this spring!

Deluxe Assortment Pack

20 lb. Lean Ground Beef

10 lb. Rib Steak

10 lb. Chuck Roast

10 lb. Round Steak

5 lb. Stew Meat

5 lb. Pork Sausage

5 lb. Bacon

10 lb. Pork Chops

10 lb. Pork Steak

20 lb. Whole Fryers

10 lb. Chicken Thighs

5

10

4

4 lbs New York Steak

4 lbs Ribeye Steak

4 lbs Top Sirloin Steak

4 lb. Rib Eye Steak

4 lb. T-Bone Steak

12 lb. Round Roast

4 lb. Short Ribs

4 lb. Boneless Pork Chops

6 lb. Pork Roast

5 lb. Ham Streak

10 lb. Whole Chicken

2 lb. Filet Mignon

2

3

3

2

5

5

Beef

5 lb. Round Steak

5 lb. Pork Chops

5 lb. Pork Country Style Ribs

2 lb. Pork Sausage

3 lb. Bacon

5 lb. Chicken Breast

5 lb. Chicken Thighs

5 lb. Chicken Drumsticks

Approx. 45 lb. $289

Nice

MLS # 23-3227

MLS # 23-8022

MLS

#80 Three Bears

#85 Three Bears

#87 Three Bears

#254 Brown Jug

#267 Brown Jug

#1811 Carrs/Safeway

Guys & Gals

The Ink Spot

Mugshot Saloon

Silver Fox Lounge

VFW Post # 9365

Winner’s Pull Tabs

Chugiak

#100 Three Bears

Peters Creek Trading Post

#35 Three Bears

#60 Three Bears #1739 Carrs/Safeway

Git N’ Go

The Green Store

Moosehead Saloon Non Essentials

#235 Brown Jug

#1807 Carrs/Safeway

Boondock Sporting Goods

Wasilla

Julie Cascio, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Cooperative Extension Service

Summer is coming, and with it the promise of produce from our gardens, fresh salmon from the river and wild game from the fields. My mouth is watering just thinking about all the wonderful foods we grow and harvest in the Mat-Su.

If your freezer is still stocked with berries and fish from last year, now is a good time to make room for this season’s harvest. Turn those berries into jam, jelly or preserves. Jar the salmon or halibut and process it to store on the shelf. Then you will have another year to enjoy last year’s bounty.

In addition to freezing food for future use, options to preserve food include dehydrate, ferment, or can food. Having research-based recipes to preserve food in jars is important for making sure the food is safe to eat.

To can, food is placed in jars or cans and heated to a temperature that destroys microorganisms and stops the food from ripening or spoiling. After the jar or can cools, a vacuum seal is formed that keeps the food safe from recontamination. There are two safe ways of canning, depending on the type of food being processed. These are the boiling water canner method, and the pressure can-

ner method.

The boiling water canner is safe for high acid foods (pH 4.6 or less) such as fruits, tomatoes, pickles, jams, and jellies. Jars of food are completely covered with boiling water to process.

Pressure canning is the only safe method of canning low acid foods - vegetables, meats, poultry, and fish. Jars or cans of food are placed on a rack in 2 to 3 inches of water in a pressure canner. The tight-fitting lid is placed on the pressure cooker/canner, and under pressure it is heated to a temperature above 240 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature for the correct amount of time is high enough to kill the spores of the bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, that can create a deadly toxin in low acid canned foods.

DO use recent, researched recipes for canning food. Grandma’s recipes taste great, but the acid levels of the vegetables she grew are different than those found in today’s varieties. Canning times have changed over the years as new ways to test for toxins are developed. Check the website https://cespubs.uaf.edu/ for publications on canning and preserving food.

Check your equipment to make sure it is in good condition. If using a pressure canner with a dial gauge, bring the dial gauge to the

on canning food the

Whether canning is a new process for you to try or one you are familiar with because you do it regularly, review the method to be used and the steps needed for the type of food.

sion if offering at the office will be: April 11, 1 pm – 5 pm Canning Meat and Vegetables and April 25, 1 pm – 5 pm, Pickles and Sauerkraut.

Sign up for online classes at www.uaf.edu/ ces/matsuor or call 907-745-3360.

UAF Cooperative Extension Office (1509 S Georgeson Drive, Palmer) to be checked for accuracy.

Classes

MatSu Exten-