The ninth year of Utah’s Eat Local Week is coming up fast. It happens Sept. 10-17, and there are plenty of reasons to get involved. Not only would you be supporting local farmers and businesses, but it’ll make a difference in the economy, community and it’s fun. It’s also a way to keep off the freshman 15, if you know what I mean.
Tobi Werkhausen is behind the coordination for this year’s Eat Local Food Week and said that the purpose of the week is to have people sign the Eat Local Pledge.
“[The Eat Local Pledge] is all about challenging yourself to eat local for one week,” Wekhausen said, even if that means “standing outside of your comfort zone.” She mentioned that by doing so, people will realize eating local isn’t a boring diet, nor is it terribly difficult. “[It’s] easier to eat local food than most people think.”
There are many other ways to get involved in the events during the week besides signing the pledge; you can volunteer, work for a local vendor, go to farmer’s markets or participate in the FoodQuest challenge. Most of the events during the week are in Salt Lake City and some are free; a few others may require a ticket or a fee for fundraising purposes.
To kick off the week’s free events, Monday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. there will be a free screening of “Sustainable: A Documentary” at the Tower Theater. The following day interested parties can attend the Quickle at the Harvest Market on Gallivan Plaza at 4:30 p.m. There you can buy veggies and do some of your own pickling. You can also grab a few of your friends or roommates and join FoodQuest, a fun filled competition/scavenger hunt hosted with the help of a local gear company called Cotopaxi, that goes on throughout Utah’s Eat Local Week and includes prizes for winners.
If you want to stay involved throughout the year, working with food vendors and attending weekly Farmer’s Market events are good options. You can try these out during Eat Local Week.
The advantage of working with food vendors, besides the health benefits, are flexible hours. “[A] vast majority of our company are students at the U” said Ethan Hilton from Vive Juicery, a cold pressed juicery with a few locations in Utah.
Attending farmer’s markets is particularly easy here at the U. Visit the on-campus farmer’s market every Thursday until October at the Tanner Plaza from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Not only will you find tastier, fresher produce at these markets, but you may also learn a lot from the local venders.
“[There’s a] great community around growing food and making food,” Werkhausen said. Now is your chance to get involved.
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