Lori Daniells and her granddaughter Bexlie kept it simple at the Wednesday farmers market last week, with bundles of fresh lavender for sale at their small booth.
A few years ago, the Daniells family purchased a couple of acres off Redden Road in Silver Creek, planting lavender as an experiment. Opting for a completely organic approach and steering clear of pesticides to ensure a safely edible product, Daniells says, “We wanted to see if the plant could survive in this climate.”
And it sure did. Three varieties of this drought-tolerant herb made it through the long, record-breaking winter: Folgate, Hidcote and Munsted. Now the family has set to work harvesting, selling their versatile crop at the Wednesday Park City Farmers Market (Canyons Resort lower level parking lot) during the crop’s three-month season.
As interested buyers were lured in by the beautiful bouquets, Daniells explained some tips and uses for the herb. Kept fresh in water for a decent amount of time, its dried buds can be used for lemonades, cocktails, in baked goods, soaps, oils and to make scented sachets. “It’s also a great bug repellant … even works on mosquitoes,” she said.
“This is our first farmers market!” says Daniells with excitement.
They’re eager to see how this year goes, hoping to expand into soaps, candles and wreaths.
Stop by the Redden Farm booth and grab a lavender bundle, small for $5 and larger for $10. They will be selling weekly at the market for the rest of the herb’s season.
Looking to grab lunch or an early dinner at the market? La Casa de la Empanada is another brand-new business joining the booths at the Park City Farmers Market, owned and operated by four friends.
One of the owners, a woman originally from Peru, has been selling at the Park City market with her ceramic and pottery business, DeSolyMar. Starting this week, she takes on a new industry.
“These are authentic Peruvian empanadas,” she says. With beef and veggie options (this week, featuring a seasonally appropriate sweet corn and onion filling), these empanadas are hefty to fit the $9 price and are served warm.
“This is our first time at the market and we’re already almost sold out!” she said last Wednesday. Just minutes later they sold their last empanada, around hour three of the 11 a.m.-5 p.m. market.
Head over this week and try these pastries for yourselves.
