Market on State

Market on State, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways: 4 lbs. of grass-​fed, all-​natural, locally produced beef for $ 13.25. It was on special, but come on, the price is not the only awesome deal here.
There is also the chance to meet local farmers and producers, which to me is worth its weight in grass-​fed beef.
Oh yeah.
I miss the Downtown Farmers Market during the winter, and Market on State is just the thing to keep me feeling connected to local farmers and producers.
It is obviously not as a big as the summer outdoor one, but the point is, we have it! Hooray!

Thanks to Steve Holmes who is bringing us an indoor farmers market each Tuesday evening and Saturday in downtown Salt Lake City. The great vendors who are there each market day – including Volkers Bakery, Canyon Meadows Natural Grass Fed Beef, Morgan Valley Lamb, Morrison Meat Pies and Fowers Fruit Ranch – all seem excited to be in a location where their loyal customers can find them… eventually.
If you haven’t had a chance to stop by and pick up some fresh bread, meat or other items, please help support this endeavor and Utah’s local farmers and ranchers. The market will continue through May 2011 and possibly longer into the future based on a positive response.

What a great idea. An indoor, wintertime, farmers market. As it is winter, the offerings were more along the lines of bread and meat, but they were local, and that is cool. There were some apples, pears, onions and potatoes though. And even though the apples I ate were perhaps not to my ideal crispness standards, the flavor of a locally-​grown apple is still head and shoulders above a lot of the grocery store offerings, in my book.
I went on the Tuesday night, sort of late, and I think we missed some of the vendors. So, I’d like to go back on a Saturday to get a real feel for it, but everyone there was very nice, helpful, and automatically cool for being involved in such an awesome thing. I really hope it can grow and become something great for our downtown area.

First things first. Yes! Do go by and check it out!
So here’s the down low: Market on State is an indoor farmer’s market. Ish. Esque. Because of our blessed four-​seasons in the state of Utah, we lose the opportunity for lots of fresh-​from-​the-​garden goods in the winter months. So Market on State is an indoor farmer’s market to that extent that you can have an indoor farmer’s market – or any farmer’s market – in Utah in the winter.
I went by to check it out on a Tuesday night. Right now they’re only open on Tuesdays afternoon/​evenings, and during the day on Saturdays. I’m told that Saturdays draw a bigger crowd. It was very quiet the night I was there. But I wasn’t in the only group to come through, either.
With its climate-​challenged concept there are lots of items available outside of the standard grown in the dirt variety. Breads, local meat, and other locally-​made foods that complement the slim (but welcome!) availability of winter squashes, long-​shelved apples and pears, and the odd garden treat. You probably needn’t schedule in more than 10 or 15 minutes to hang around here, it’s just in its nascent stages. But the point is, DO schedule in some time to come down.
I’m rooting for Market on State to be successful. It’s such a welcome addition to the bleak winter scene and the unnaturally ripe foreign fare that gets trucked in from who-​knows-​where. Yes, they’re small right now. But they can be so much more – local herbs, greater varieties of long storing veggies, preserved local fruits – it may never be a pure farmer’s market in the cold Utah winter, but it is an incredible outlet that local producers and growers now have to explore what can be produced and sold throughout the winter. I came away with an assortment of apples, pears, and some cuts of lamb.
Big thumbs up to the organizer for making it happen and having the wherewithal to have a venue and stick with it. You’ll find decent parking, nice folks, and a really exciting possibility for something great!