From September 9th through 16th Eat Local Week Utah, a community-wide celebration of the harvest and those who labor to produce it, is scheduled. Eat Local Week promotes local agriculture and the preservation of Utah’s agricultural heritage, and brings people together around the food they eat. Through a series of activities and events around the state, Eat Local Week seeks to educate people about resources for eating locally, and increase awareness about food production, transportation and access to healthy food for all Utahns.
This year, Eat Local Week has expanded to include opportunities across the state. For example, over 10 restaurants in Moab are offering menu items with at least three local items. A documentary film, Food Chains, which tells the story of farm labor in the United States and advocated for the dignified life for farm workers and creating a more humane, transparent food system, will be screened in English and Spanish in Salt Lake. In Kaysville, farm-to-table dinners provide a unique option to experience food at the height of the harvest season.
The Liberty Park Farmers Market will launch their Double Up Food Bucks, a three-year old nutrition incentive program that helps low-income families take home affordable fresh fruits and vegetables grown by local farmers, joining the Downtown Farmers Market and farm stands across the state who have participated for three years. Both the Downtown Farmers Market and Liberty Park Farmers Market will feature events and promotions surrounding local food. Events are listed below and at:
https://www.facebook.com/eatlocalweekutah
“Eat Local Week” is my favorite week of the year, because it really does challenge us to learn more about where our food comes from, and how much we grow and produce right here in our own state,” says Alison Einerson, Downtown Farmers Market manager. “From local meats to produce to dairy and cheeses, you can find virtually everything you want to eat made right here in Utah. Food is truly a resource that binds us all, and connects our state rural and urban communities.”
A cornerstone of Eat Local Week is the “Eat Local Challenge,” which challenges people to eat and drink food that is grown or produced within a 250 mile radius of their home for one week. Now in its 10th year, the Eat Local Challenge is an opportunity for Utahns to garner a closer connection to food sources. eatlocalweek.org contains several resources to where to shop for local food, as well as recipe ideas.
Utahns are encouraged to craft the challenge level of their choice: a strict option—no coffee, no chocolate, no olive oil, is one example. Alternatively, participants can choose specific food groups that are easy to obtain locally (produce, meats, dairy) and stay truly local to them for a week. Spice Kitchen will offer locally sourced pre-made meals during Eat Local Week. Spice Kitchen Incubator is a project of the International Rescue Committee IRC) in partnership with Salt Lake County.
The goal of the challenge is to engage people to discover how much food we grow and produce in our region, and to show how changing small daily habits can have a profound effect on our health, our economy, and our diet. The Eat Local Challenge is a unique opportunity to learn more about local food and to foster creativity around what and how we feed ourselves, at the height of the harvest season.
Eat Local Week events include the following:
Saturday, September 9th
Taste of the Market & Perfectly Wild Produce Contest
Downtown Farmers Market, 8 am-2 pm
Saturday, September 9th
Wasatch Community Gardens Annual Tomato Sandwich Party
Grateful Tomato Garden, 11 am-2 pm
Saturday, September 9th
Taste of Harmons Rooftop Party
Harmons City Creek, 6-10 pm
Monday, September 11th
Free “Food Chains” Film Screening. Proceeds benefit Comunidades Unidas.
Pre-Party at 6 pm (Pago), Screening at 7 pm (Tower Theater)
Tuesday, September 12th
Quickle (Quick Pickle) at the Tuesday Farmers Market
Pioneer Park, 4 pm
Tuesday, September 12th
Starting and Maintaining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Enterprise
Youth Garden Project, Moab, 1-5 pm
Wednesday, September 13th
Free “Food Chains” Film Screening in Spanish, followed by panel discussion with Jorge Fierro of Rico Brand
Sorenson Unity Center, 855 W California Ave, 7-9 pm
Wednesday, September 13th
Taste of the Sugar House Farmers Market
Fairmont Park, 5 pm
Thursday, September 14th
Farm to Table Dinner
USU Botanical Center, Kaysville, 6-7 pm
Friday, September 15th
Taste of the Liberty Park Farmers Market
Liberty Park, 4 pm
Saturday, September 16th
Fermentation Festival at the Downtown Farmers Market sponsored by Catalyst Magazine
Pioneer Park, 9 am-1pm
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