The Eat Local Challenge began with a group of local people interested in expanding their knowledge of the food system in Utah. The question was posed, “Can we legitimately sustain ourselves and our families solely on food grown and raised near Salt Lake City?” Sure, the harvest season is a bountiful expression of fruits and vegetables, but replacing fats, proteins, grains and spices with local ingredients proves more complicate. The early challengers created an information network and gathered at potluck events to share resources, products and recipes.
Today, the Eat Local Week has grown into a state-wide program that celebrates the regional harvest with food-focused events, workshops and activities. The challenge continues to be a core element of the program with three levels of participation. Whichever level you select, the challenge should indeed challenge your knowledge of local food. For best results, tackle this week with a little help from your friends and put a plan in place.
Group projects can be fun and economical ways to plan meals, preserve the harvest and prepare for the challenge. Here are a couple ideas to get you started. Tap into your network and share skills that bring more local foods into your pantry and kitchen:
Proteins: If you eat meat, there are several local, grass-fed and open range options available in Utah. Just take a gander at the vendor lists at our farmers markets and you will find pork, chicken, beef, lamb and even llama meat to purchase. To maximize your buying power, consider going in on a half cow share with a group of friends. This is a great way to learn about eating head to tail, wasting no parts of the animal.
If you do not eat meat, you can find local beans to add to your protein profile. We love Borski Organic Farms Anasazi beans, grown in Kaysville. Get your gang together around a big pot of beans and freeze in pint jars to use throughout the challenge. I love this recipe for Tejano-style pinto beans.
Carbs: We have researched grains grown here in Utah and found Central Milling to be a great resource. Although their flour is not 100% Utah grain, much is sourced here is Utah with grains from Idaho and Montana blended in. A great group project you can plan with your crew is a pasta-making party. Source a large bag of flour from Central Milling and get to work. Fresh pasta freezes well in meal-sized portions. Extra flour can be divvied up for other uses throughout the year.
Preserve: When the produce is plentiful and affordable, it makes sense to preserve as much as you can for a taste of summer through the cold winter months. Freeze, ferment, can and dry. Query your network to find out who has the skills to share and plan an afternoon to put ‘em up. Not sure where to start, try the Quickle event at the Harvest Market during Eat Local Week or sign up for a canning class to learn the skills to give you confidence while canning at home.
Whatever you decide, have fun with this. The harvest season is rooted in traditions and it's your duty to create the ones for future generations to embrace. In coincidence, as I have been planning for Eat Local Week, my extended family was featured in an article from their small town paper in New England. It reminded me just how important it is for us as humans to come together to celebrate food and honor the harvest.
We’d love to know how your group projects are going. Send us photos or tag us on instagram (@eatlocalutah) or facebook (@eatlocalweekutah). In the meantime, feel free to send any questions your way as you are looking to source local ingredients.