The arrival of beautiful weather is a great reminder of the importance of eating locally for optimum health and wellness. The changing of seasons provides the unique opportunity to buy a range of fantastic foods and products. Locally- sourced foods provide a natural diversity of healthy options that should be taken advantage of when eating holistically for our health and the health of the planet.
- Health Benefits: seasonal local foods are picked at the peak of freshness and offer higher nutritional content than out-of- season, unripe fruits and vegetables.
- Sustainable Benefits: local foods are grown in a sustainable manner by farmers who care about protecting the environment.
- Environmental Benefits: purchasing local foods and products protects the planet by reducing the number of miles food has to travel before it reaches your plate.
- Economic Benefits: buying locally grown foods provides financial support to the farmer in your area as well as the local economy.
Spearheaded by local food guru Alison Godlewski, Park City Slow Food promotes and celebrates the benefits of locally and sustainably produced food. The Slow Food movement is now worldwide and growing. Its mission is to elevate the importance food holds in people’s lives and build sustainable community systems that produce good, clean food grown by people compensated fairly for their efforts. Much like the Meet the Producers event that PCSF
sponsors each year, the local chapter highlights farmers, producers, and markets in and around Park City.
Beginning June 4th, Canyons hosts the Park City Farmers Market every Wednesday—rain or shine— from 12–6pm. Featuring everything from Native American jewelry to Volker’s fresh bread, the market draws a large crowd of locals and tourists each week. Be sure to stop by for great local, GMO-free food and products.
Today’s health-conscious consumers demand more from their food products than ever. With Park City’s variety of local fresh food markets and restaurants, eating fresh and local foods has never been easier. The meat, poultry, artisan cheese and dairy sector of locally produced food has grown by leaps and bounds and now Park City consumers can purchase them from several sources.
Gold Creek Farms’ cheeses, soaps and lotions are handmade using milk and cream from the farms’ own Brown Swiss Cows. Head cheese-maker Fernando Chavez-Sandoval’s smoked parmesan has consistently placed at the top in both U.S. and international competitions. Gold Creek Farms’ selection of cheeses are high in protein and a great source of calcium.
Morgan Valley Lamb is a local source for natural, quality lamb and can be found on various restaurant menus in Park City. Naturally grazed on the high Utah terrain, all of Morgan Valley’s lambs are ethically treated and raised without the use of added hormones or steroids.
Summit County Beef was originally formed in the spring of 2010 after some prominent locals identified a growing interest in the community to support the local food economy. SCB has made a commitment to raising grass-fed beef, which studies have confirmed such health benefits of. Beef from grass-fed cows is lower in saturated fat and provides two to six times more Omega-3 fats than grain-fed feed lot animals.
Heber Valley Artisan Cheese and Kohler Creamery have supplied the Heber Valley and Park City area with some of the finest quality cheese and milk for years. Heber Valley Artisan Cheese is truly a local producer, employing its four-generation family to produce the freshest ingredients for their delicious renowned artisan cheeses and hard-to-find raw milks.
The Park City area celebrates and promotes sustainably-grown products, and honors the hardworking farmers and artisans who provide the community with natural and nutritious food. Eating locally is a pleasurable, healthy and sustainable way of living, and most importantly, connects us to the community and enhances our appreciation of the land.
