(KCPW News) Fall’s cooler temperatures have several farmers across the Wasatch Front wondering what to do with all the produce left over from spring’s late arrival. JoAnn Parker owns a farm in Hooper, and says with the farmers market winding down in Salt Lake City, she and others are worried about what they’re going to do with the leftovers.
“We just had a crazy weather year, which brings us to what we are dealing with now, which is a late harvest,” she says. “The late harvest means that right now, when most of your farmers markets are winding down, we are now getting product that we need to be moving or else it will sit and just rot in the field, which is a shame for that to happen.”
Farmers like Parker are urging people to support local farmers and think “outside the box” when buying produce in the coming weeks, so that independent businesses can stay afloat and food doesn’t have to go to waste.
“Watermelon is typically your July 4th through Labor Day kind of fruit, so now here we are in October, and now we’re getting a beautiful crop of watermelon and Crenshaw melons, which people typically don’t eat in the fall — they go more to their apples their pears,” says Parker. ” So here we are sitting with these melons that we’re not quite sure what we’re going to do with.”
The Downtown Farmers Market runs for three more Tuesdays and two more Saturdays at Pioneer Park.
How do you feel about this topic?
Is there anything else you think we should know? We'd like to hear your thoughts. Send us your feedback using the form below.
