Eden’s Edge

09/30/2026

Farm update! 🐓🐐🐇🌾

Apparently, the ladies have formed a union.

Egg production has come to an almost complete standstill, and I have absolutely no idea what their demands are. More treats? Better working conditions? A retirement package?

Rest assured, negotiations are underway. 🤣

This is AFTER sending a dozen ladies and one gentleman off to freezer camp, so you would think the remaining girls would understand that this is not the ideal time for a labor dispute.

But chickens.

🤦🏻‍♀️

Meanwhile, Whitney processed that batch and harvested another group of rabbits last weekend.

And these rabbits had some GOOD meat on their bones!

YAY!

Every batch teaches us something, and seeing healthier, heavier animals heading into the freezer is exactly what we want as we continue working toward providing more locally raised food for families in our community. 🤍

And now for the really BIG news…

Next week, 45,000 pounds of premium Washington hay is coming to Eden’s Edge Farm!

Yes.

45,000 pounds.

Or, more specifically:

17.5 tons of Timothy
and
5 tons of Alfalfa.

Getting that hay here has been one heck of a learning experience.

There have been phone calls.

Emails.

Shipping companies.

Truckers.

Containers.

Changes to plans.

Changes to the changes.

And probably a few moments where everyone involved wondered why hay cannot simply teleport.

🤣

But through all of it, we have had some absolutely fantastic people helping us — from our hay supplier in Washington to the company bringing it from Anchorage to the farm.

And for the first time since Eden’s Edge began…

We will have a full year’s supply of quality hay stored here on the farm, with extra.

That is HUGE for us.

Alaska winters are long, hay is expensive, and feeding animals through an entire year takes an incredible amount of planning.

Knowing the barn will be stocked is a pretty wonderful feeling.

I suspect the goats, sheep, and rabbits will be equally pleased.

Although the goats will probably inspect it first and file a formal complaint if the buffet is not opened quickly enough.

🐐🤣

The Nikiski Farmers Market has wrapped up for the season, but Rose, Whitney, Mallory, and I are already working on plans for next year.

Because apparently none of us understand the concept of an “off season.”

Enoch and Porter will also be here later this week helping with some of those final GET IT DONE BEFORE WINTER farm chores.

And honestly?

That is a treat for me.

I absolutely love these young men. 🤍

Our pheasants are also slowly maturing, and I’m hoping to begin processing them within the next month or two, along with the final batches of rabbits, poultry, and goats.

Which brings us to the most important part:

Food boxes.

If you haven’t visited our website yet to sign up for the upcoming Eden’s Edge Farm food boxes, please do.

This year we plan to offer farm pickup along with scheduled meet-and-pickup options in:

📍 Nikiski
📍 Kenai
📍 Soldotna

on select days and times.

Our goal is to have the first boxes packed and ready to go by early November.

There is still a LOT happening behind the scenes between now and then…

But little by little, freezer by freezer, bale by bale, and occasionally chicken argument by chicken argument…

We’re getting there. 🤍

We feed people because no one should be hungry.

Picture of Wintress chowing down with a bunch of the teenagers.

Like the beat up fence? 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣 Blame Wintress, Boots & BB!

09/25/2026

Tomorrow is Penny Market at the Nikiski Farmers Market!

Come spend your Saturday with us at the Old Fire Station from 10 AM–3 PM — shop local vendors, see what everyone has been making and growing, and stop by Eden's Edge Farm's Open Tea Bar while you're here!

This time, YOU get to be the herbalist.

We'll have a big selection of loose herbs laid out for you to create your own custom tea blend — rose hips, hibiscus, chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, elderberry, nettle, raspberry leaf, mullein, echinacea, yerba mate and plenty more.

Pick any 2 herbs — 50¢
Each additional herb — 25¢

We'll have a cheat sheet showing the effects and common uses of each herb, so you can build something around what you're looking for — or completely ignore it and make whatever combination smells good to you.

Want something calming? Fruity and tart? Herbal and earthy? Or a little caffeinated kick from yerba mate? Mix it your way.

And don't forget — the Tea Bar is just one reason to come out. Penny Market is a Farmers Market day, so wander the tables, meet your local growers and makers, find some treasures, and support the people producing things right here in our community.

Nikiski Farmers Market — Old Fire Station
Saturday, September 26
10 AM–3 PM

Come hang out with us. Bring some quarters and build yourself a tea!

09/25/2026

So I've been reading about herbs traditionally used for perimenopause and menopause symptoms.

And apparently sage has a long history of use for excessive sweating and hot flashes.

Sage.

SAGE.

You mean to tell me that for generations, women reached a certain age, started spontaneously bursting into flames, grabbed some sage, and felt better...

…and somewhere along the way everybody decided:

“Clearly she's cleansing the house of evil spirits.”

Ma'am.

She wasn't banishing demons.

She was 48, sweating through her clothes, ticked off at everybody, and trying not to set the entire village on fire.

Suddenly a whole lot of historical “witchy joo-joo” deserves a second look. 😂

Maybe she wasn't purifying the house.

Maybe she was just freaking hot.

Picture of sourdough pretzel bites fresh out of the oven.

09/20/2026

MORINGA IN RABBIT NUTRITION: FASTER GROWTH, BETTER FEED CONVERSION & IMPROVED MEAT QUALITY?

At Eden's Edge Farm, we're always researching ways to improve livestock nutrition, increase production efficiency, and enhance the nutritional quality of the meat we raise for our community.

Our latest area of interest is Moringa oleifera, a nutrient-dense plant containing protein, essential amino acids, carotenoids, minerals, and antioxidant compounds.

A peer-reviewed study published in the journal Animals in 2021 investigated the effects of dried moringa leaf supplementation on growth performance, carcass characteristics, antioxidant activity, and meat composition in rabbits.

THE STUDY

Researchers divided 120 weaned New Zealand White rabbits, beginning at six weeks of age, into four dietary groups. Over 42 days, the rabbits received either a control diet or diets supplemented with 0.5%, 1%, or 1.5% dried moringa leaves.

The results were particularly interesting from a meat-production standpoint.

GROWTH PERFORMANCE

Average daily weight gain increased from 28.72 grams in the control group to 36.5 grams in the 1% moringa group and 35.51 grams in the 1.5% group.

By the end of the study, average live weights were:

• Control group: 2,166.6 grams (4.78 lbs)

• 1% moringa: 2,403.3 grams (5.30 lbs)

• 1.5% moringa: 2,498.2 grams (5.51 lbs)

The differences in final weight and daily weight gain were statistically significant (p < 0.001).

FEED CONVERSION EFFICIENCY

Feed conversion ratio (FCR) measures how much feed an animal consumes to produce a unit of body weight gain. A lower FCR indicates greater feed efficiency.

The control group had an FCR of 3.14, compared with 2.49 and 2.50 in the 1% and 1.5% moringa groups, respectively.

This represents approximately a 20% improvement in feed conversion efficiency, meaning the supplemented rabbits required less feed per unit of weight gained.

For small farms, improvements in feed conversion could translate into reduced feed costs per pound of rabbit produced.

MEAT COMPOSITION & NUTRITIONAL QUALITY

The researchers also examined the chemical composition and fatty acid profile of the rabbit meat.

Moringa supplementation increased meat crude protein content while reducing its relative fat content.

The proportion of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the meat increased by approximately 29.46% in the 1% moringa group and 24.36% in the 1.5% group compared with the control.

The omega-6-to-omega-3 fatty acid ratio also decreased, indicating a measurable change in the nutritional composition of the meat.

ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY & MEAT STABILITY

Researchers measured glutathione peroxidase (GPx), an antioxidant enzyme involved in protecting cells against oxidative damage, and malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of lipid oxidation.

Moringa supplementation increased GPx activity and reduced MDA concentrations in both serum and meat.

These findings suggest improved antioxidant status and greater resistance to lipid oxidation, which is relevant to maintaining meat quality during refrigerated storage.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR EDEN'S EDGE?

Our rabbits already receive commercial rabbit pellets, alfalfa, Timothy hay, and seasonal forage, along with various fresh vegetables. We're investigating whether a small addition of moringa leaf powder could improve growth performance and the nutritional composition of the meat without significantly complicating our feeding program.

The study's results are promising, but they are not a guarantee that every rabbit breed or feeding system will respond identically. The research evaluated growing rabbits under controlled dietary conditions, and its findings should not automatically be applied to pregnant or lactating does.

We're particularly interested in the relationship between feed efficiency, growth rate, and meat quality. Producing more nutritious food while making better use of our available feed resources directly supports our farm's mission.

Because at Eden's Edge, improving livestock nutrition isn't just about raising healthier animals. It's about producing quality food for the families who depend on us.

Now we begin a trial run.

We feed people because no one should be hungry.

📖 RESEARCH SOURCE

Selim et al. (2021). Impact of Dietary Supplementation with Moringa oleifera Leaves on Performance, Meat Characteristics, Oxidative Stability, and Fatty Acid Profile in Growing Rabbits.

Animals, 11(2), 248.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020248

Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) have gained great interest as a non-traditional feed ingredient due to their unique nutritional value. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of graded dietary supplementation levels with MOL on performance, carcass characteristics, an...

09/19/2026

Meet Valkyrie & Vespa!

Our two beautiful Flemish Giant girls are just 12 weeks old and are already tipping the scales at 5.9 and 6.1 pounds!

Just look at those ears! These girls have a whole lot of growing left to do, and I can't wait to see how big they get!

Welcome to Eden's Edge Farm, Valkyrie & Vespa!

And a huge shout-out to The Funny Farm for the opportunity to add these two to our meat rabbit breeder program. Much 🤍 to you Katerina!

09/19/2026

Unfortunately, due to illness, I won’t be at the market today.

However, Whitney Holiday will have some organic, homemade dog treats and delicious baked goods from Eden’s Edge Farm available for sale!

🍞 Spiced Zucchini Rhubarb Bread
🧁 Small Rhubarb Muffins
🐾 Homemade Organic Dog Treats

Our baked goods are made with locally grown ingredients from Nikiski Growers!

Stop by, say hello to Whitney, and grab yourself (and your four-legged friends!) a little something delicious!

09/14/2026

Oh Rime, I can't wait to see what you look like when you're all grown up!

09/13/2026

http://edensedgealaska.com/2026/09/13/american-agriculture-stop-building-programs/

America keeps spending money helping farmers and processors navigate obstacles while admitting some of those obstacles may not need to exist. Before we fund another workaround, maybe we should remo…

09/13/2026

There’s something about the last few market Saturdays that feels a little bittersweet. Summer is winding down, the mornings are getting cooler, and before we know it, we’ll all be tucked in for another Alaska winter.

Enoch and I are sharing a tent through the end of the season, and I’m genuinely happy to have him there. He’s a wonderful teenager, an absolute riot to talk with, and good company on a long market day.

We only have two Saturdays left, so I want to have a little fun with them.

I’ll be bringing more free items to share while supplies last, and I’m setting up an old-fashioned little Herb Bar.

Think jars of herbs lined up on the table and the days when a few coins in your pocket could actually buy you a little treat. Pick two herbs for 50¢, then add another for 25¢ each. Mix and match, make your own tea blend, and take it home to try.

No fancy package. No $8 cup of tea. Just herbs, little bags, pocket change, and the fun of making something yourself.

I’ll also have a few $1 herbal samples for the ladies, another chance to try something new without spending much.

Come wander the market, visit with us, dig through the herb jars, and enjoy these last couple Saturdays before the season disappears on us.

Sometimes the best parts of a farmers market are the things that feel a little like they used to.

09/12/2026

Today I’ll have a limited supply of FREE kale, rosemary & chives at the Nikiski Farmers Market! First come, first served while supplies last.

Whitney Holiday and I are also hard at work on October food boxes for local community members in need.
So far, we have ducks and chickens harvested, with many more still to go, then it’s on to rabbits and goats!

We could really use some community help filling out the boxes. If you’d like to contribute, we’re looking for shelf-stable foods to go alongside the locally raised meat and produce.

Even a few cans or pantry items help. 🤍