Category Archives: Sustainable Food

Grow West Garden Fest: Free Family Event April 9 at Sorenson Unity Center

SAVE THE DATE FOR A FREE FAMILY EVENT
Thursday, April 9 from 6-8 p.m. at the Sorenson Unity Center

The Grow West Garden Fest invites the public to learn about health, nutrition, and gardening resources available to westside Salt Lake City neighborhoods. These resources include community gardens, school gardens, workshops, youth activities, and organizations & businesses that support gardening practices. For attendees who participate in event activities, free food will be served by El Ranchero Chido, a local taco cart.

For more information, visit wasatchgardens.org or check out the Facebook event page.

Downtown Farmers Market Vendor Information and Involvement Opportunities!

Would you like to be a vendor at the Downtown Salt Lake City Farmers Market? Are you a farmer or grower within 250 miles of Salt Lake City? Do you hand-make artwork or crafts? Are you a local musician? A non-profit organization? A volunteer? A sponsor?

For details about the application process and the link to apply, visit the Downtown Farmers Market application page.

The application period ends April 3^rd. Secure your involvement in something sustainable, local, and beautiful today!

Dining with Discretion: Food Choices Matter

Last week, SLCgreen’s Bridget Stuchly and Tyler Poulson unveiled a compelling presentation at the Intermountain Sustainability Summit to a packed house. Dining with Discretion: Food Choices Matter outlines how personal choices about what and how we eat impact our environment and can either contribute to, or help alleviate, climate change.

The Presentation

If you missed it, you can scroll through their presentation slides.

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Dining with Discretion from SLCgreen

Take Action!

Long story short, there are some very real steps you can take in your everyday eating habits that will have a positive impact on the environment:

Eat less meat & dairy
Eat more plants
Cook smart
Waste less
Speak out

Source: Meat Eaters Guide to Climate Change + Health

TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” Viewing Party

TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” Viewing Party

Saturday, March 7, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Gould Auditorium of the Marriott Library

TEDxManhattan, “Changing the Way We Eat,” is a one-day conference featuring a dynamic and diverse group of speakers addressing issues in the sustainable food and farming movement. Watch the webcast LIVE from the Marriott Library on the University of Utah campus from 9:30 am to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 7. Bring your lunch and enjoy a day of learning about food system innovations and networking with like-minded Utahns!

Hosted by Wasatch Cooperative Market, University of Utah Sustainability Resource Center, Salt Lake City Sustainability Division (that’s us!), Slow Food Utah, the Marriott Library, and Wasatch Community Gardens.

Five Quick Tips for a Greener Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, delicious food and great company. Unfortunately this most American of holidays can generate a lot of waste: food waste, disposable plates, plastic utensils and cups, and wasted energy.

Here are five quick tips to reduce waste and focus on the things that matter.

1. An Organic Bird: When it comes to buying the holiday turkey, we recommend buying an organic bird. Look for labels saying, “USDA certified organic” or “No Antibiotics Administered” with a “USDA Process Verified” seal. e2 Business Liberty Heights Fresh offers some great options.

2. Local Sides: Swing by the Winter Farmers Market this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rio Grande Depot to pick up local greens, squash, root vegetables, etc. Also, think about minimizing your use of meat in recipes — vegetarian dishes have a lower carbon footprint. For recipe suggestions, visit our Green Thanksgiving Pinterest board.

3. Durable Tableware: We understand the temptation, but please resist the urge to purchase single-use table settings. After their one use, they go right to the landfill where they take years to degrade (if they ever!) If you’re hosting, ask your guests to pitch in to help wash dishes. If you’re headed to a celebration away from your home, pack up some silverware, plates, and cups (or a water bottle) and bring them along. The extra ten seconds it takes to pack up your own dishes saves landfill space and energy.

4. Creative Leftovers: Thanksgiving dinner is wonderful, but we all know that there is plenty of food left over after the big meal. If you’re planning to take some leftovers home with you, bring along a few empty glass food containers from home, which will eliminate the need for disposable containers. You can also minimize food waste by turning your turkey, potatoes, stuffing, and other foodstuff into innovative leftover recipes. Dispose of spoiled fruits and vegetables food in a compost bin.

5. Compost and Recycle: For those hosting Thanksgiving meals, be sure to clearly mark bins for recycling and composting. This will eliminate the build-up of trash in your home and will keep unnecessary waste out of the landfill.

For more information, visit these websites:

Growing Community Gardens Leadership Training Series – Apply Now!

Great news! Our friends at Wasatch Community Gardens will once again offer their popular Growing Community Gardens leadership series.

Growing Community Gardens is a 6-week leadership training series facilitated through community gardening concepts. This is ideal for individuals or groups interested in community garden organization and development, focused on building skills, sharing ideas and identifying resources for developing successful community gardens and school gardens.

Upon completion of the training, participants whose projects meet program requirements are invited to join our network of garden leaders, continuing to connect their community gardens with Wasatch Community Gardens resources, as available, throughout the year.

Location
Sorenson Unity Center, 1383 S 900 W, SLC, UT 84104

Dates
Tuesdays, 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
January 6 – February 10, 2015
Optional Garden Tour in March, Date TBD

Topics
Classes focus on community organizing, and cover such topics as leadership, diversity, volunteer management, facilitation, and garden design.

Program Fees
$65 for all 6 sessions. Scholarships available.
Payment is due upon acceptance into the training.

Applications are due by December 1, 2014 — enrollment is limited so apply today!

Download the application.

For assistance in preparing an application, or more information, please contact:

Susan Finlayson, Community Gardens Program Director for Wasatch Community Gardens
Phone: (801) 359-2658 x 12
Email: susan@wasatchgardens.org

Winter Farmers Market Opens this Saturday!

Hooray!

Saturday, November 8th is the opening day of the Winter Market at Rio Grande Depot. Featuring a stunning array of fresh, local produce, grass fed meats, artisan cheeses, and unique packaged foods – this market has it all! Hours are 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Support your local producers and reap the benefits of fresh, local food. And, of course, remember to bring your reusable bags. Next market is November 22!

Fruit: Local apples are in season. Enjoy many varieties including; Rome, Beauty, Johnathan, Fuji, Golden, Red Delicious and Granny Smith. Also, Asian Pears if you’re not feeling the apple spirit.

Vegetables: sweet potatoes, tomatillos, winter squash, pumpkins, peppers, onions, lettuce, leeks, kohlrabi, eggplant, broccoli rabe, potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, chilis, cabbage, radish, and beets.

Vendor List for November 8

On the Portico:
Amour Spreads
Asian & Heirlooms
Biocentric Bros
Blue Spring Farm
BlueTree Cattle Co.
Canyon Meadows Ranch
Chad’s Produce
Charming Beard
Clifford Family Farm
Crumb Brothers
Drake Family Goat Dairy
Earth First Eco-Farm
Epicurean Chefs
Farmer Next Door
Frisky Fresh Fish
Garden Goodies
Lau Family Farm
Laziz Foods
Parker Farms
Pyne Farms
Red Rock Pistachios
Rico’s Mexican
Riley’s Farm Fresh
Rino’s Italian Heirloom
Salt Lake County Jail
SLC Walnuts
Smith Orchards
Spring Creek Farms
Tequenos Factory
Zoe’s Natural Garden

Upstairs on the Mezzanine:
Beehive Cheese Co.
Beltex Meats
Blue Copper Roasters
Caputo’s Market and Deli
Cheese Bread Mania
Chili Beak
Chocolate Conspiracy
Cupcakes by Kasthuri
Desire Dessert
Good Grains Gluten Free Baking Co.
Grandma Sandino’s Sicilian Sauce
Mamachari Kombucha
Mountain Town Olive Oil
Oolite Cheese Co.
Rosemain
Salsa Del Diablo
Slide Ridge
Sugar House Libations
Sugared
Terrapin Station
The Queen’sTea
Tulie Bakery
Urban Pioneer Foods
Van Kwartel
Vive Juicery
Vosen’s Bread Paradise
White Lake Farms
Winder Farms

Urban Farming Open House

Are you interested in gardening and farming? Do you want to know where your food comes from? Would you like to start a community garden in your neighborhood? Are you interested in leasing land for small plot farming? Do you care about local food?

You’re invited to attend Salt Lake County’s Urban Farming Open House!

What: Urban Farming Open House

Where: 2001 South State Street, South Building Atrium

When: November 12 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Learn more at SLCo.org/urbanfarming.

Urban Gardening with the Bells

Blog post by SLCgreen’s Laura Schmidt.

Thinking of starting an urban garden? Dig right in!

Recently, the “Live More with Less” conference highlighted urban gardening as a practical and meaningful way to be more connected to your food and to improve your quality of life.

Kevin and Celia Bell, urban homesteaders for over ten years, have turned their yard entirely into a garden.

Wanting to know more about the Bell’s urban homestead, they took me on a tour. Upon wandering onto their property, I was instantly captivated by the colors and the accessibility of food. The front yard has a diversity of life growing: apples, grapes, roses, currants, hazelnuts, cherry, horseradish, and service berries.

After admiring the front yard, we entered the backyard through a gate. Every inch of the backyard was covered with life! I toured their half acre plot of land in Autumn and not in the full growing season. Among the 40 beds, each 4 x 25 feet, I saw plenty of greens, reds, oranges and yellows.

“I just harvested about 600 lbs of winter squash from 450 sq ft!” said Kevin Bell.

These urban homesteaders also raise chickens and bees.

Surrounded by several urban gardens, Celia and Kevin have a community of farmers right next to them. Their farm is adjacent to B.U.G. Farms, a community garden, Wasatch Commons, a cohousing neighborhood, and two beautiful llamas.

It might be unrealistic to transform your entire yard into a garden, but we all have to start somewhere. Perhaps a good start is to grow plants in your house or apartment. Tomatoes seem to be a easy first plant. If you’re looking for something a bit more substantial, a small plot is easy to manage. Using the Arable Land Map, you can assess how much of your yard is available for gardening. With a little time and care, you can be eating the food you grew with your own hands!

If you need more inspiration before joining the Urban Gardening revolution, join us at Brewvies Cinema Pub, tonight for a viewing of Growing Cities, a film about urban farming in America, examines the role of urban farming in our culture and its power to revitalize our cities and change the way we eat. Learn more. Doors open at 6 p.m. Seating is limited. Movie starts at 7 p.m.

Grow your own community garden!

Attend an open house and learn how you can start a community garden in your neighborhood!

Open houses are scheduled at the Salt Lake City & County Building (451 S State Street) on the first floor on:

Salt Lake City recognizes the important role community vegetable gardens play in supporting our local food system, and has made it a goal to support gardens.

In order to help facilitate the development of new gardens, the City has identified City-owned or managed parcels located on properties with access to a waterline and other conditions conducive to creating a successful and sustainable community garden.

Salt Lake City works directly with Wasatch Community Gardens and community members to develop gardens within City limits.

Visit SLCgreen.com for more information, and to download a community garden application.

We’ll see you there!