Put produce first when visiting Salt Lake City’s Downtown Farmers Market

Salt Lake City's Downtown Farmers Market kicks off its 2017 season on Saturday, and organizers are asking patrons to enjoy the festival-like atmosphere while still putting the farmer first.

Preserving agriculture is the whole reason the market at Pioneer Park began 26 years ago, and it's time to refocus on that founding aspect, explained market manager Alison Einerson.

"It's fine to have lunch and hang out," she said. "But we want to get back to our roots, connecting urban shoppers with rural farmers."

Through the years, the market — which runs Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Oct. 21 — has expanded beyond produce. Now there are baked and prepared foods, craft booths and music.

Those additions have helped grow the market, which now attracts a weekly average of 10,000 people, she said. And the fees that those vendors pay help subsidize the market and keep rent low for the farmers. But in some cases, they overshadow the original mission.

"We want people shopping for groceries," Einerson said. "The market offers you access to the best food in the city."

She said fruits and vegetables in season are not only at their peak in flavor and nutrition, they also have traveled a shorter distance.

National scene • The Salt Lake City market isn't the only one experiencing growing pains.

Last year, an article in The Washington Post showcased small growers from Virginia to Seattle lamenting the changes in farmers markets over the past decade.

"Contemporary farmers markets," the article reads, "have evolved to meet the needs of a new generation of shoppers who view these outdoor markets as more a lifestyle choice than an opportunity to support local agriculture."

There's "certainly a fair amount of that" at the Salt Lake City market, said Blue Spring Farm co-owner Tamara Hed. She and her husband, Randy, have a 5-acre farm near Tremonton and have been selling produce at the downtown market since 2002.

"People make a few purchases," she said. "But you don't get the feeling they intend to buy stuff."

Hed isn't trying to be a buzzkill and understands that people are looking for fun outings with family and friends. But it still can be "frustrating" for farmers trying to make a living.

"We'd love for them to buy stuff, too," she said, noting that during the growing season, the Blue Spring Farm booth offers a "grocery store" of produce — everything from greens, peas and lettuces to carrots, beets, peppers and squash.

How to market • For those who say they don't like to shop at the downtown market because it's too crowded or difficult to park, market manager Nick Como said there are tricks to "knowing how to market."

Go early, right when the market opens or a few minutes before, he said. "That's when the hardcore shoppers come."

The Gateway mall offers one hour of free parking. And take advantage of the free "fruit and veggie valet." Leave purchases at the loading zone on 300 South, near the center of the block, and then go get your car. When you drive up, you'll get help loading your bags.

And don't forget your bags. This year, the market is eliminating plastic bags. Patrons are asked to bring reusable shopping bags to carry produce home.

For those who forget, SelectHealth has donated 20,000 reusable mesh bags that will be available at the individual booths. It's part of the market's ongoing effort to become more environmentally friendly. Last year, vendors were no longer allowed to sell beverages in plastic bottles.

New farmer • Hoping to add to the "farmer focus," the market has added several new growers, including Heather and Tony Peeters. The owners of Murray Market Gardens have sold for 10 years at the Utah Farm Bureau's Murray Market, the oldest farmers market in the state. They decided to be part of the downtown market until Murray's opens in mid-July.

"It would really be great to have the support from customers," said Heather Peeters, who plans to have peas, herbs and her Solstice Spice blends on Saturday. "Farmers are trying to do more than just make money."

For example, the Peeterses cultivate a 2-acre property in South Salt Lake, made possible through a Salt Lake County urban farm grant. The private landowner, who inherited the property from her grandfather, gets a small tax break for letting it remain farmland.

"You're supporting a really beautiful property that would otherwise go to development," she said. "It would break my heart to see it turn into another apartment complex. Once it goes to development, it never goes back to being a farm. It's irreversible."

kathys@sltrib.com

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To market, to market

Farmers markets can be found all over the Salt Lake Valley. Here are a few:

Downtown • Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., June 10-Oct. 21; Pioneer Park, 350 S. 300 West, Salt Lake City; slcfarmersmarket.org

Liberty Park • Fridays, 4 p.m. to dusk, June 9-Oct. 20; Liberty Park, 1300 S. 600 East, Salt Lake City; http://www.lwccslc.org/libertyparkmarket/

Murray Park • Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., July -Oct. 29; 296 E. Murray Park Way; utahfarmbureau.org

9th West • Sundays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., June 11-October; Jordan Park, 1060 S. 900 West, Salt Lake City; 9thwestfarmersmarket.org

South Jordan • Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., August-October, 10695 S. Redwood Road; utahfarmbureau.org

Sugar House • Wednesdays, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.; through October; Fairmont Park, 1040 E. Sugarmont Drive; sugarhousefarmersmarket.org

Sunnyvale Park • Saturdays, noon to 3 p.m., June 10-Oct. 14, Sunnyvale Park, 4013 S. 700 West, Salt Lake City; sunnyvalefarmersmarket.org/

Wheeler Farm • Sundays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., now-Oct. 29; Wheeler Farm, 6351 S. 900 East, Murray; wasatchfrontfarmersmarket.com

Gardner Village • Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., July 8-Oct. 28; Gardner Village, 1100 W. 7800 South, West Jordan, wasatchfrontfarmersmarket.com