Series of Activities and Events Educate the Community and Provide Resources to Eat Locally.
From September 8th through 15th 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.
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 11th 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.
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 and fun 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.
In addition to the 13+ participating Eat Local Week events across the state, Tsunami Restaurant Group will be featuring a Farmers Market Roll made with Anaheim peppers, shallots, heirloom tomatoes and bell peppers – all purchased from vendors at the SLC Downtown Farmers Market. Proceeds from the sale of the Farmers Market Roll will go directly to support the Downtown Farmers Market. This promotion will run at all 4 Tsunami locations across the Salt Lake valley.
“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, Executive Director of Urban Food Connections of Utah. “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’s rural and urban communities.”
Salt Lake City Eat Local Week events include the following:
Saturday, September 8th
Free Wasatch Community Gardens Tomato Sandwich Party, Free Eat Local Week Kickoff & Wasatch Co-Op Perfectly Wild Produce Contest at the SLC Downtown Farmers Market, Free Taste of Harmons Rooftop Festival at Harmons City Creek
Sunday, September 9th
Punk Rock Farm to Taco with KRCL
Tin Angel, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Monday, September 10th
Free “Modified” Film Screening.
Brewvies, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Tuesday, September 11th
Quickle (Quick Pickle) at the Tuesday Farmers Market
Pioneer Park, 4 p.m.
Spice Kitchen Incubator “Spice To Go” Special
Wednesday, September 12th
Free Eat Local Week Celebration at Sugar House Farmers Market
Fairmont Park, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Thursday, September 13th
Summer in a Jar Workshop: Salsa & Sauces
Harmons City Creek, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday, September 14th
Free Taste of the Liberty Park Farmers Market
Liberty Park, 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday, September 15th
Free and 2nd Annual Fermentation Festival at the Downtown Farmers Market
Pioneer Park, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Additional event information and pledge forms can be found at: slcfarmersmarket.org/programs-
