Pick of the Crop
Art: Scott Sawyer
Aah … a plump, vine-ripened tomato. There’s nothing quite like it — except maybe wild greens plucked from Ranui Garden’s Hoystville soil or rosemary bread fresh out of the ovens of Volker’s Bakery in Kamas. As our fast-food nation gently applies the brakes, “slow food” of all varieties is simply blossoming in Summit County. From community supported agriculture to co-ops, Park City offers plenty of fresh ways to buy local.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): Sharing risks and rewards
Investing in a Utah family farm is one way to reap homegrown rewards. Farmer Jeremy East of East Farms says that his farm’s CSA membership has “exploded” over the past four years, growing from 60 to 500 shareholders.
“[Customers] are taking a risk with us,” he explains, comparing CSA investment to the stock market. “For their $185 [a half share], we repay them in vegetables.”
“I think it’s healthier for my family and good for the community,” says Lara Rude, who found out about CSA through a fellow teacher and has been purchasing a half share of fruits and veggies from East Farms for the past three years.
“It’s forced us to eat our vegetables,” she says, adding, “It’s a good value, too.”
The produce customers receive varies each week, guided by whatever is ripe for harvesting at the farm, starting with leafy greens in early summer and ending with squashes and root vegetables in fall. Savoring the ritual of picking up her produce each week at the Park City Farmers’ Market, Rude and her family have been introduced to a variety of new vegetables. “I’ve had to get creative with my cooking,” she says.
Rude is not alone in her discovery of the perks of buying locally grown food. The international, grass roots movement Slow Food USA fosters not only CSAs, but local products of all kinds.
“It’s about building community through food,” says Slow Food Utah volunteer representative Christi Paulson. Far from elitist or “granola, organic, hippie people,” her convivium (chapter) is made up of a diverse group of volunteers dedicated to preserving food traditions and education. A first grade teacher who helped her students “gobble up” their class’s third homegrown salad, Paulson says the popularity of “slow food” is on the rise. In addition to connecting producers and consumers, the group focuses on raising public awareness on various food-related issues, such as the benefits of eating seasonally-appropriate foods. If the Slow Food Web site is any indication — with its plethora of Utah growers and producers ranging from Beehive Cheese Co. to Marvin’s Garden — supply is increasing along with demand.
Farmers’ Markets: Keeping It Local
Aligned with the slow food trend, farmers’ markets are sprouting up throughout Utah. Park City Farmers’ Market manager and Volker’s Bakery owner Volker Ritzinger has seen the statewide trend grow from a mere two markets to approximately two dozen over the past decade.
Ritzinger has been at the helm of the Park City market for the past six years, ensuring that farmers make up a good portion of the 80 vendors on hand. He explains that the market’s afternoon hours allow for the freshest produce possible.
“The [farmers] pick [their produce] fresh that morning and that is why the Park City Farmers’ Market is a success,” he says. Though his rules for market participation are, “You have to make it or grow it,” he admits there are a few unique exceptions such as fish vendors like Wild Alaska, Inc. Locals can pick up anything from honey to a bouquet of fresh cut flowers all summer long; however, due to the area’s short growing season, most fruits and vegetables don’t become plentiful until mid- to late-summer.
Given the popularity of our farmers’ market, it’s no surprise that a new, second market has joined the ranks. “This market is more of a community forum,” explains Kimberly Kuehn, director of the new Park Silly Sunday Market. The weekly “zero-waste” event incorporates approximately 50 vendors: artists, restaurants, blanket vendors, antique dealers and farmers. Promoting community and sustainability, the Park Silly Sunday Market also features non-profit organizations.
In addition to an array of markets in the Salt Lake Valley and beyond, neighboring Heber City hosts a market along with a concert each Thursday. “Our only rule is that [product] has to be made or grown in Utah,” says Helen Warren, the market’s volunteer organizer. In addition to an array of arts, crafts and homemade goodies, two key farm vendors have a consistent presence at the weekly event. She says other growers come and go as their crops, such as peaches, flourish.
Co-ops: Shared buying power
Like purchasing directly from a farmer at a local market, a co-op combines buying power with the added mission of boosting community.
“Our economic choices impact everything,” explains Nicole Reilly, volunteer leader for the Park City team of the Community Food Co-Op of Utah (a non-profit program operated through Crossroads Urban Center). Though the co-op uses local growers as much as possible, according to Reilly, “Our primary purpose is to reduce food insecurity as well as promote community service.”
By purchasing cooperatively and directly from wholesalers, members are able to buy healthy food at reduced cost. The program is designed to bring people together across socio-economic lines. The theory behind the co-op is that folks on the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum are given better access to quality food and all members give back to the community.
Whether seeking a way to better our community or promote a sustainable environment, “buying local” is more than a simple economic act. It is an experience that might involve meeting a cherry farmer at an open-air market or committing to a couple hours of community service. Whatever the motivation, slowing down to enjoy the benefits of “slow food” is certainly gaining momentum in the Park City area.
The granddaughter of a farmer, freelance writer Jane Gendron hangs onto the hope that green thumbs are a genetic trait. Her flower boxes would indicate otherwise.
Contacts
Slow Food Utah, www.slowfoodutah.org.
The Community Food Co-Op of Utah, www.foodco-op.org.
Utah’s Own (Sponsored by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food), www.utahsown.utah.gov.
Park City Farmers Market, www.parkcityfarmersmarket.com.
Park Silly Sunday Market, www.parksillysundaymarket.com.
Heber City Farmers Market, 435.654.4555.
Your comments may be edited for brevity and foul language.