Hermit Hill Farm, Fairbanks

Many Alaskans will head to the grocery store or unpack their freezers full of harvested summer goods to prepare the staples of their holiday meal: cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy and of course, turkey. Most of us will prepare our traditional family turkey recipes with turkeys that come from large scale farms in the Midwest. These turkeys come to Alaska on barges or on planes, however some Alaskans will be lucky enough to have a turkey from Nick Williams’ Hermit Hill Farms just north of Fairbanks. All the way past the Fox General Store, and past Hilltop Restaurant & Truckstop in the historic mining districts of Fox and Chatinika, sits this microcosm of Alaska Grown at it’s finest. In a lot of ways Nick Williams is a normal Alaskan teenager, but with more responsibility. He loves his snow machine and hanging out with friends, but he also has to check on his goats year round and make sure his turkey and calf are doing well on his 16 acre farm. This past year Nick raised a Black Angus young beef and two goats along with his usual turkeys. During the summer the turkeys run through the green grass of the yard, and into the birch and spruce trees surrounding Hermit Hill Farm and the Williams Home.

Nick is proud of all of the animals he raises, and the Black Angus was auctioned off at a live auction at the Tanana State Fair as part of the 4H program. The live auction was full of local Fairbanksans bidding on locally raised rabbits, turkeys, cows and chickens. The auction has become more popular in recent years due to a growing interest in local sustainable food sources, even in Alaska.

Nick’s families goats are milk goats. For Nick Kate, Hazel and Lawfanda are a fun hobby that provides a sense of responsibility. Nick likes to check on the goats in the barn. Nick is drawn to farming because he wants to provide fresh, locally raised free range turkeys for Alaskans.

Kate Powers, Co-Founder

Despite having her easy bake oven confiscated from her for questionable experiments, Kate Powers still convinced her Dad to let her continue to bake and cook without recipes. She loves cooking meals for her friends and family, she particularly loves cooking Latin American cuisine, especially Central American and Spanish food where she has been lucky enough to live and study. Kate has a particular interest in immigration and refugee resettlement issues, as well as farm and labor rights. She can make perfect duck egg omelettes, just ask her about it.