Summer on the Wasatch Back is a smorgasbord of outdoor activities, but you’ve got to eat sometime. Utah is home to some truly excellent farms and orchards, and locals know that the best ingredients for home cooking are the ones that come from your own backyard. This year, Wasatch and Summit counties will be hosting several weekly markets where growers from all over the state can set up shop and showcase the fruits of their labor.
In addition to traditional farmers markets, the local agricultural communities have come together to create some truly innovative options for those wanting to get homegrown produce throughout the year. From community-supported agriculture (CSA) packages to self-serving markets, there has never been a better time to be a Utah locavore.
Summer Staples
When the weather gets warmer in Park City, you get plenty of opportunities to see the town slow down as it welcomes two of Park City’s most popular outdoor markets. On Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Park City Mountain Resort is home to the Park City Farmer’s Market (parkcityfarmersmarket.com), which has been a local institution since 2001. This is perhaps the most well-known farmers market in Summit County, and its list of local vendors seems to grow each new year with food stands selling everything from local produce to artisan honey.
The Park Silly Sunday Market (parksillysundaymarket.com) takes over Main Street on 11 Sundays with yet another excuse for some outdoor shopping. Park Silly is a bit more geared toward arts and crafts, but there are always a few food vendors onsite for this summer market.
Heber and Midway
The city of Heber has evolved its local farmers market into a multi-faceted experience that features local produce stands, food vendors, and live music. The Heber Market on Main (hebermarket.com) began in 1998 and has become known for turning the local Main Street Park into a community destination for three days a week. On Thursdays, the market hosts its traditional farmers market from 5-9 p.m. and features live music from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
On Saturdays, the market hosts the Saturday Sunset Music Series, which is a weekly outdoor concert held at Main Street Park. Visitors can grab a quick bite at one of the local food vendors or from a nearby restaurant before settling in to enjoy some live local music. Sundays continue the concert theme with Soulful Sunday, a day of yoga in the park and live gospel music.
Moving over to the green hills of Midway and its quaint town square on 200 West Main Street you’ll find the Saturday Farmers Market. This traditional farmers market hosts local produce vendors and farmers throughout the square and takes place every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Between the Thursday market in Heber and the Saturday market in Midway, area residents will be sure to have all their locally sustained shopping well in hand.
Heber Valley Cheese
It’s easy to take your favorite cheese for granted—like a longtime confidant or friendly neighbor, it’s always right there when you need it. When you stop and think about the art and science that dairy farmers employ to get that cheese from the cow to your refrigerator, however, it’s really a miraculous process. If you haven’t taken the time to truly consider the alchemy behind what makes your sharp cheddar sharp, a trip to Heber Valley Cheese (hebervalleyartisancheese.com) should be part of your summer itinerary.
This Midway institution not only supplies artisan cheese to stores across the state, but it’s come to be a prime example of how perseverance and innovation can keep a legacy alive. The farm is owned and operated by the Kohler family whose Swiss ancestors came to the Heber Valley in the late 1800s. Heber Valley Cheese grew from the Canyon View Farm, which has been in the Kohler family since 1920. The dairy was officially founded in 2011 and has been producing award-winning cheese ever since.
Flavors like honey lavender cheddar or smoked jalapeño bacon cheddar likely come to mind when locals think of Heber Valley Cheese. A trip to the dairy farm offers an inside peek into the process behind such inventive flavors. A visit could include dairy farm tours that feature a hayride and plenty of nuzzles from the farm’s calves. Amateur cheese makers can up their game with the farm’s cheese-making classes that focus on either mozzarella or burrata, and fans of simply eating cheese will love the artisan cheese-tasting events.
It’s rare to see a family-owned dairy maintain a multi-generational legacy these days, but the Kohler family has set the bar for how to do just that. Not only has Heber Valley Cheese become a widely recognized brand, but its community outreach and popular onsite events have made it a valuable part of the Wasatch Back.
Farm Stores and CSAS
Cultivating a strong farmers market presence in Utah is an excellent way to boost the local economy and encourage more sustainable shopping practices. For those who love a local market but perhaps can’t always make a trip during the scheduled time, the Plus 7 Farm Store in Kamas is an excellent option.
Founded by Chelsey Leavitt of L2 Ranch, the Plus 7 Farm Store is a neighborhood market that sources its products from local farms in the area—think of it as a grocery store that only sells products from within a 50-mile radius. Operating out of a small shop just off of S.R. 248, the Plus 7 Farm Store sells goods from over 20 local vendors. “We have beef, pork, chicken, local eggs from backyard farmers, produce, micrograins, baked goods, raw honey, ceramics, and mugs,” she says.
In keeping with the community-centric concept, the store’s point of sale is based on the old-fashioned honor system—customers can pop in, grab what they want, and pay for their merchandise electronically onsite. Leavitt got the idea from her sister who operates an “honesty box” for her homemade sourdough bread in Hiko, Nevada. “As soon as I looked into that, I knew that’s what I had to do,” Leavitt says. “I have faith in our community, and people have been amazing. I haven’t had any problems.” The concept has done well enough in Kamas that a second Plus 7 Farm Store has also opened in Farmington.
Francis Family Farms (francisfamilyfarms.com) is a popular Midway farm that maintains a farm-side store for those looking to shop for local produce year-round. The farm grows a wide variety of fruits and veggies, pumpkins, and flowers that can be ordered online or picked up at the farm. Thanks to the farm’s “U-Pick” program, farm visitors can visit the fields in person, select their own produce, and physically pick each item from the ground. With these more interactive offerings, Francis Family Farms is a great place for families to gain a better understanding of where their food comes from. The literal “farm-to-table” pipeline that local shoppers can experience here is an important concept to cultivate.
Both Wasatch and Summit counties offer several options for community supported agriculture (CSA) programs furnished by local farms. Each CSA has its own schedule and pickup times, but there are enough of them to accommodate a busy summer schedule. Copper Moose Farm (coppermoosefarms.com), for example, offers vegetable shares, egg shares, and bread shares with their CSAs, and each order can be either pre-packed or hand-selected at the Copper Moose Farm store.
Moonshadow Farm (moonshadowutah.com) in Hoytsville also offers a popular CSA program that takes advantage of the farm’s biodynamic agricultural practices. Its 40-year legacy includes being named Utah’s first Demeter-certified farm, and longtime patrons of the farm have been visiting since it went by the name of Ranui Gardens.
These days, Moonshadow Farms is known for its high-quality CSAs and its presence at local farmer’s markets, but it’s also one of the chief suppliers of local produce for some of Utah’s finest restaurants. Handle, Twisted Fern, Loma, and Urban Hill are all customers of Moonshadow Farm. The farm also hosts Farm Walk/Talks where visitors can meet up with the farmers and discuss agriculture and sustainability before snagging some of the farm’s organic produce on the way out.
