Queen Bee Bookstore An Ogden bookstore—Since the birth of e-books and the meteoric rise of Amazon, many have wondered if there is really a place for brick and mortar bookstores anymore. But when I walk into The Queen Bee in Ogden, I don’t have to wonder. The self-described “Giftery, Bookery, and Chocolaterie” not only has a place in Ogden’s downtown, it also helps hold … [Read more...]
Toasted Barrel Brewery
From Homebrew to Business Success Sage Dawson and Lynn Litchfield—owners of Toasted Barrel Brewery next door to The Soup Kitchen in SLC—say they got into the beer brewing biz because “We have an extreme passion for good beers and couldn't find the special sour beers we wanted here, so that made us take the leap.” Although they’re now proud owners of a brewery specializing in … [Read more...]
Best farm to table restaurants—separating the pretenders from the contenders
Table X Restaurant & Garden The phrase “farm to table” gets thrown around a lot in the restaurant world these days, and it can mean different things to different people. At its purest, a farm to table restaurant is literally an eatery that is located on (or at least near) a farm and the ingredients—most, anyway—that go into the restaurant’s dishes come straight from that … [Read more...]
Fertile soil, the Soil Food Web, and High Desert Soilworks
The science of soil management Fertile soil is imperative for any successful farmer or grower. The Soil Food Web is the colony of organisms living in the soil. The food web is a complex living system that interacts with the environment, plants, and animals. When an agricultural town with a population of less than 300 turns out in high numbers for a workshop on soil … [Read more...]
Utah farmer seeking medical cannabis grow permit
Medical cannabis will be sown in Utah, but will the profits be reaped elsewhere? Now that medical cannabis in Utah has been legalized, it's time to turn our attention to how the medicinal plant will be grown—will there be supply to meet the projected demands?—and, maybe more importantly, who will be able to grow it? It's an important question because the State will … [Read more...]
Krishna Food Forest & Farm—what is the permaculture concept?
Mimicking natural ecosystems The Krishna Food Forest & Farm , located behind the Sri Sri Radha Krishna temple in Millcreek, is a wonderfully accessible place for anyone in the area to learn about ecological food production while engaging with the Millcreek Permaculture Guild, a friendly community and leadership team. It is run by the Millcreek Permaculture Guild, which … [Read more...]
The Utah Farmers market—there’s one near you
The Utah Farmers market season is now upon us, and as Farmer markets grow in popularity and diversity, there is no excuse to not check out at least a couple this year. There is certainly enough to choose from. Let's do what we can to take care of our local farmers and growers by supporting the many of Utah Farmers markets taking place this … [Read more...]
Wasatch Community Gardens: cultivating good health for your body, for your community
Wasatch Community Gardens has cultivated good health for your body and for your community for the last three decades, because they know agriculture is, or should be, connected more to culture than to business. Wasatch Community Garden brings plants and people together In the Salt Lake area, this robust group is making sure that agriculture remains linked to culture, crops, … [Read more...]
Six Utah restaurant dishes you must try if you have dietary demands
I’ve noticed in the past couple years that an ever-increasing number of restaurants are including menu items aimed at customers with dietary restrictions or health preferences, such as vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free dining options. It’s getting easier these days for someone like my wife—who is gluten-free—to find interesting, innovative, and tasty items … [Read more...]
The Nerd Store
Just like any subculture, there are various elements/factions of Geek subculture. Just to name a few, there are Gaming Nerds, Dungeons and Dragon Nerds, Anime Nerds, the list goes on, too and, I'm sure, in much greater and succinct detail. The point is this: the nerd culture over the years (and what rough years those must've been) have gone from Zeros to Heroes; no longer … [Read more...]