Downtown Alliance | Salt Lake City, Utah - S-Al-t Fresco

S-Al-t Fresco | SLC Farmer's Market

Monday, 01 October 2012 13:35

Published in Downtown Life

Written by Danica Farley

Living in a locale with four seasons is really an under-appreciated delight. Choosing one's space is [or should be] heavily influenced by what there is to experience in your neighborhood. Whether it be within a few leisurely walking blocks, a short bike ride, or a 15-minute drive, it's good to know the options.

One of my favorite SLC accoutrements that make about five months of the year a tasty treasure is the Downtown Farmers Market in Pioneer Park. I adore strolling through the market — rain or shine – to see friends and chat with farmers about the goods. Added bonus: you'll often get to hear about favorite recipes using what they've grown. Really, there's nothing better than having a reason to purchase locally-grown and -baked tasties. Play it right, and it'll spill onto your cozy patio in the form of entertaining any number of your favorite folks.

A touch of pre-planning actually makes the market experience a little easier. Still, you should plan to be surprised and tempted by the fresh and unique varieties of fruits and vegetables every week. It's one-stop shopping — over 250 vendors offer produce, meat, fish, baked goods, and cheese. Some of my favorites? Zoe's Garden, Crumb Brother's Bakery, Smith's Orchards, Happy Monkey Hummus, Green River Melons, and Drake Family Farms. And – if you're unsure as to what's fresh during the harvest season – I'm here to help: raspberries, peaches, apples, plums, melons, mixed greens, beets, garlic, chard, squash, tomatoes, broccoli, kohlrabi, potatoes, peppers, eggplant, and cucumbers are ripe, to name a few.

**Party idea: host a pickling party where you'll make future plans for brunch. At said brunch, you'll serve Bloody Marys infused with the veggies you've pickled. Voila. Yum.

The Downtown Farmers Market is celebrating its 20th year, and it's grown like crazy, thanks to stellar support by fresh food-loving localvores. There also happen to be a lot of fabulous finds on the Arts & Crafts side of the market [a perfect place to find a hostess gift if you've been invited to a soiree]. The Market is open Saturday mornings, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., June 9th through October 27th, and Tuesday evenings, 4 p.m. to dusk, August 7th through October 23rd. Still a full month to experience outside in the city.

Read the original article on cityhomecollective.com, complete with photos.