Utah is in full-blown drought mode. Reservoirs and storage systems are desperately low, and even the Great Salt Lake, that paragon of salty buoyancy, is only slightly more than a shallow, briny puddle, instead of the vibrant desert ecosystem it is supposed to be. The evaporative effect of a full GSL is vital for normal weather patterns and the snowfall that fills the … [Read more...]
Green Phoenix Farm Helps Homeless Women in Salt Lake Get Back on Their Feet through Gardening
“I have nothing but good things to say about this program. I have been homeless for five years. This is the first time I’ve received a housing voucher, and it’s thanks to this program.” — Kate, Green Team member “I still volunteer there once a week because I love it so much. I give back because I’ve received so much.” —Teressa, Green Team alumni “Being of service … [Read more...]
The Seventh Day Adventist Faith Based High School in Castle Valley, Utah Hopes to Produce Half-a-Million Pounds of Potatoes this Year
“The main thing that’s happening here right now is potatoes,” said Tom Mayer, farm manager at Castle Valley Farms. Mayer is exuberant about the tubers: the many varieties, their nutritional value, and growing them organically. In past years, Castle Valley Farms has devoted about one fourteenth of an acre to potatoes. This year, they’ve planted 14 acres, which Mayer says will, … [Read more...]
10 Vegan Burgers to Die For in Salt Lake and Beyond
Vegan doesn't have to be boring. Being good doesn’t have to be boring. Here are the most decadent and delicious vegan burgers in Salt Lake City: 1. Most Customizable The potential of the BYOB (Build Your Own Burger) is only limited by your imagination. You’ll pay $11 for a Beyond Burger patty topped with a slice of vegan cheddar cheese. Sauteed mushrooms, grilled … [Read more...]
5 Hidden Utah Outdoor Adventures You Must Experience
With timed-entry tickets mandatory at Arches National Park, and permits required for hiking Angels Landing in Zion National Park, there’s no better time to start exploring Utah’s lesser-known mountain ranges and desert landscapes. Here are five hidden Utah outdoor adventures to get you thinking beyond Utah’s popular and overcrowded trailheads and national parks. Wander … [Read more...]
Vanishing Farmland: Paradise Lost as Vital Farmland Gives Way to Development in Ogden Valley, Utah
Utah’s best farmland is disappearing. Just ask Utah Farm Bureau Federation President Ron Gibson. “We are losing the most productive farmland in the state to development,” Gibson said recently, referring to the fertile land that first attracted pioneers to settle in Salt Lake City and along the Wasatch Front. “We have one of the best economies in the country … so people … [Read more...]
New Roots SLC, Organic Vegetable Farm Supports Refugee Families to Continue Tradition of Gardening and Farming
In the midst of West Valley urban sprawl is a somewhat unexpected sight: a diverse, organic vegetable farm called New Roots. The farm is a local program of the IRC (International Rescue Committee), an organization serving people whose lives have been upended by war and natural disasters. While the IRC has had offices in Salt Lake since the 90s, New Roots SLC was developed in … [Read more...]
Historic Wheeler Farm: A Park and One of the Last Functioning Farmsteads that Withstood Housing Development of Salt Lake
Historic Wheeler Farm is known primarily as one of the happiest places in Salt Lake Valley. But happiness isn’t all it provides. It also is, in part, a functioning farm, and trains and empowers its employees with valuable experience. Two Mangalitsa piglets currently on the farm will later be sold at auction. The sheep provide wool, and the goats, milk. While there is a … [Read more...]
Best Avocado Toast in Salt Lake
Why avocados are so important, learning from pioneers about supply shortages, and why we need a downtown food hub. For millennials (and myself), the abrupt enormous price hike of avocados has been the most frightening aspect of our food supply chain shortages. Now that it’s summertime and Covid appears at least to be on temporary hold, the culture of young adults … [Read more...]
Utah’s Dirty Soda Craze
Because Regular Soda is Just So Boring It’s 6:15am and the drive through line has already begun forming at Sips in Clearfield, Utah. Customers are craving their favorite morning drink which clearly outsells coffee. Beginning at 6:30am when Sips opens, customers are ordering “Dirty Soda”; a combination of flavored syrups added to soda of all types. Because it’s apparently just … [Read more...]