With the novel coronavirus disrupting food supply chains and skyrocketing unemployment, it has not been an easy few months for Utah’s farmers and ranchers, nor for residents who are already struggling with food insecurity. The Utah Farm Bureau Federation (UFBF), an independent, non-governmental organization of farm and ranch members, took note. On May 7, UFBF launched the … [Read more...]
Expect Few Frills and Lots of Farm Fresh Food at Farmers Markets This Summer
In the midst of quarantines and social distancing, farmers across the state are literally ploughing ahead, working with what they’ve got to steward their croplands and sow abundance just like they do every year. Farmers markets statewide are following suit. The market-going experience, like all social experiences, will be different because of the pandemic this year, but Utahans … [Read more...]
Utah Farmers Adapting to Farmers Market Changes: Getting Creative with Selling Utah Local Goods and Produce
This summer will be Tamera and Randy Hed of Blue Spring Farm’s 19th year at the Downtown Farmers Market, but things are going to look a little differently this year. The typical festival-type atmosphere of the event will be reduced to simply a place to pick up essential foods like locally produced meats, dairy, and produce. There will be no arts and crafts booths, no prepared … [Read more...]
Wasatch Blossom Receives International Spirits Competition Medal
NEW WORLD DISTILLERY Wasatch Blossom Utah Tart Cherry Liqueur AWARDED SILVER MEDAL: Sunset Magazine International Spirits Competition EDEN, UT, November 2019 — On the heels of being awarded a Bronze Medal by the American Craft Spirits Association in 2018, New World Distillery’s Wasatch Blossom Utah Tart Cherry Liqueur brings home a Silver Medal from the prestigious Sunset … [Read more...]
RAZZZZZ … Berries!
The Tagge family expands their fruit selection Raspberries, aka “razzleberries,” should actually be called “dazzleberries” because of the way their red nubs of flavor dazzle the taste buds. But this summer delight is not an easy picking. Raspberries are fragile, requiring care and cultivation. Thayne and Cari Tagge are hoping their efforts will result in some of the best … [Read more...]
Frei’s Fruit Market
Roadside market peddles produce for 63 years For 63 years, the Frei family has operated their open-air fruit market on Old Highway 91 in Santa Clara, Utah. Despite new roadways and changing consumers, Frei’s Fruit Market has persisted and evolved into a multi-generation family tradition that celebrates the bounty of the Beehive State. It started back in 1956 when most … [Read more...]
The future of farming in Utah: an interview with Jack Wilbur, a hybrid farmer
The future starts now The future of farming will look very different than it does today, just like the farming of today looks drastically different than it did 20, 30 years ago. However, the basic structure of the image of what future farming will be is being sketched and worked through right now. And it's a good thing too because, let's face it, Salt Lake City and its … [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...]
Ferguson Fruit Orchard
Ferguson Fruit Orchard—As sweet cherry trees begin to produce fruit in late May and June, farmers across Utah are crossing their fingers that the sporadic spring frosts are finished for the year. This is also the time of year when Bill James, owner of the 100-acre Ferguson Fruit Orchard in Santaquin for 44 years, takes stock of his own, slightly different crop: Tart … [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...]