Written by Kate Powers

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.

Whether you and your family get your turkey from a local farmer that you know, celebrate your Japanese heritage with sukiyaki as your holiday meal, or cook pirogis together every Christmas Eve, we want to hear stories!  The Food Mosaic’s favorite Holiday Story will win a $50 gift card to Bear Tooth for the holidays!