Eat Local Week Utah, a community-wide celebration of the harvest and those who labor to produce it, starts this week!
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 Utah seeks to educate people about resources for eating locally, and increase awareness about food production, transportation, and access to healthy food for all.
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 9th year, the Eat Local Challenge is an opportunity for Utahns to garner a closer connection to food sources.
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 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.
Take a look at what’s on the calendar this week:
9/8
Governor’s Eat Local Week Proclamation
Utah State Fairgrounds, Dairy Barn; SLC
5:30pm
9/10
Education Station at Downtown SLC Farmers Market and FOODQUEST kick-off
Pioneer Park; SLC
8am -2 pm, Free
9/10
Wasatch Community Gardens Annual Tomato Sandwich Party
Grateful Tomato Garden; SLC
11am-2pm, Free
9/10
Cache Valley Gardener’s Market Farm-to-Table Banquet
Riverwoods Conference Center; Logan
6-9pm
9/12
Film Screening: “Sustainable: A Documentary”
Tower Theatre; SLC
7pm, Free
9/13
Quickle (Quick Pickle) at the Harvest Market
Gallivan Plaza; SLC
4:30pm, Free, donations accepted
9/14
A Better School Lunch
Liberty Heights Fresh; SLC
11am & 7pm, Free
9/14
Education Station at Sugarhouse Farmers Market
1040 E. Sugarmont Dr.
5-8pm, Free
9/15
Real Food Rising Fall Celebration
Real Food Rising Farm, SLC
5:30pm
9/16
Local Food and Art Show
Sugarmont Plaza; SLC
6pm
9/17
Ethnic Cuisine Demonstration
Sunnyvale Farmers Market; SLC
1pm, Free
9/17
Harmons Rooftop Wrap-up-Party
City Creek Harmons; SLC
6-9pm
