Ask any old-time farmer in Ogden Valley how he decided what crop to grow. Chances are he’s not going to say that the beauty of alfalfa captured him in a moment of deep spiritual recognition. But that’s how farmer Pete Rasmussen tuned in to the living organism Allium sativum, or garlic. “I had a connection to the plant from the first moment and something sparked inside me,” Pete … [Read more...]
Caputo’s Hosts Its First Annual Goat Camp
Matt Caputo remembers his Greek grandmother by the garden she grew and tended. The varieties were unique to North America, and, as a boy, Matt sensed an importance in the difference. Matt now is the CEO of Tony Caputo’s market, and heritage preservation is a pillar of the business. As an expression of that value, Matt took a cohort of employees, chefs and wholesale reps to m … [Read more...]
Trippin’ & Splorin’ Through Utah: 3 Days, 570 Miles, and Maybe a Dinosaur Bone
Okay, so maybe it isn’t a dinosaur bone. But if it is...road trip jackpot. There are essentials to a road trip: route, vehicle, cooler, music. But the road accommodates idiosyncratic interpretations of travel. I like to research and plan a destination framework, then fill in the gaps with how the spirit moves me. If you plan enough seasonal adventures, one of them will w … [Read more...]
Gold Hill, Utah–A Treasure Town on the Verge of Extinction
The Tooele County recorder said yes, indeed there are permanent residents in Gold Hill, Utah, but “they’re the kind of people that might greet you on the porch with a shotgun and ask you what you’re doing there.” Gold Hill, Utah, is tucked up against the West Desert hills near the Beehive State and the Silver State border. The unincorporated town shares the common h … [Read more...]
Bridging The Grocery Gap
When Utahns Against Hunger talks about “food insecurity,” they’re not referring to people being anxious in relation to certain foods. Tens of thousands of Utah households are in a state of food insecurity, defined by the USDA as “a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.” Federal programs such as the Supplemental Nutriti … [Read more...]
Water(melons): The Essence of Life
Before Interstate 70 opened in 1970, Nancy Dunham’s children would haul their Red Flyer wagon filled with homegrown pumpkins to sell along the highway that ran through Green River. “That’s how it started,” the 86-year old Dunham Farms matriarch recalls. The kids soon started growing watermelons, and now Dunham Farms is one of three major melon farms in town, known for its award- … [Read more...]
Kevin Nash – One-Man Urban Garden Dream Team
Can we elevate the status of the local, organic farmer to rock star? Please? Eco-Farms Earth First farmer, Kevin Nash, shared the complexity of his labor-intensive dedication to providing the community with absolutely fresh, organic produce, and for his single-minded and single-handed efforts, he deserves recognition. Kevin’s interests and agricultural education led him to t … [Read more...]
Ramen Comes to Broadway
In a culture known for coining new phrases, professional foodies, Caleb Cannon and Max Motter, have cooked up a new description for the dining atmosphere they’re creating: progressive casual. The owner-chef duo are as well-matched in their enthusiasm as they are in experience. Caleb, who is also the business catalyst for downtown Salt Lake City’s Tinwell bar, has been a lon … [Read more...]
Greenprint Apartments – An Urban Micro-Housing Experiment
Steve Ruf learned early in his search for financing that “affordable housing” can be a subjective term to bankers. “They said, ‘Who’d want to live in this?’” Steve laughs, as he recounts his conversations with lenders. But the Orem-based developer persisted, and he expects to rent units in the first of two apartment buildings in May. Greenprint Apartments, located on the 800 … [Read more...]
UDOT Using Comedy To Encourage Safety
What’s the sexiest thing you can wear in your car? Your seat belt. At least that’s what the Utah Department of Transportation thinks. In 2015, UDOT Public Information Officer, John Gleason, and a handful of communication, operations and safety employees, formed an ad hoc team and started brainstorming clever public safety messages to post on the Utah’s interstate variable mes … [Read more...]