Salt Lake City Farmers’ Market

Welcome to my first installment of ‘Where I Live’. As I mentioned in my About page, occasionally I’d like to share with you some of my favorite Utah places and venues, and thought it only appropriate to start with a food-friendly event.

Who doesn’t like to cook with fresh ingredients, especially fresh produce? And what better place to get fresh produce than your local farmers’ market. Here in Utah there are lots to choose from but the granddaddy of them all is the Downtown Salt Lake City Farmers’ Market.

If you’re a Utah resident or in town visiting, don’t miss this fun Saturday morning festival. What started over 20 years ago as a few local growers selling fresh produce out of the back of pickup trucks has turned into one of the best farmers’ markets around. In addition to produce, there are crafts of all kinds, prepared foods and condiments, entertainment and an eclectic crowd that makes going to this farmers’ market one of our favorite summertime activities. We don’t make it there near enough each year, but when we do go we always have a great time. I hope you enjoy these pictures of a trip we recently made there with my two sons and daughter-in-law…

The star of the market. Freshly picked produce of every kind. The best and most unusual goes very fast!

Pastries filled with intense fruity filling, sprinkled with fluffy powdered sugar or dripping with hot creamy icing. How to choose?

There were lots of fun kids’ toys and trinkets. Meet Jerry, who came home with us after Ryan said he’d buy him with his own money. The natural beauty commodities were overflowing on tables and just as colorful as fresh picked produce! Handcrafted jewelry, baubles and clever repurposed items were enticing and creative!

Flora for culinary purposes, medicinal purposes and visual beauty.

Salt Lake’s Finest enjoying the cooling properties of lavender water. Everyone could use a spritz on a hot summer day.

And people of course! Offering up enticing samples and friendly smiles. (By the way, that mustard was nothing short of IN-credible! I use it in my Sweet Mustard Chicken recipe.)

Speaking of people, I got to hang out with a pretty special group of them.

If you can believe it, this was the ONLY booth selling fresh, cold beverages on this particularly hot day! And it was at the far end of the market. We ALL were glad to find freshly squeezed limeade but not glad to see that the line was looong!

And last but certainly not least, some things at the market just have you saying “Hmmm”.

Be sure to find the local farmers’ markets in your own area. And GO! You will learn something, and have a great time. I know it.