Winter, Welcome In
Mobile Moon Co-Op will weather the winter with "Community Supported Herbalism," winter markets begin, BUG Farms needs help, + events and news.
With fall and winter comes a lot of adjusting, especially for folks who grow things from the earth or sell products to support themselves. Mobile Moon Co-op is no stranger to changing and shifting, though. After getting their start publishing herbalism zines in 2017, Mobile Moon has since expanded like a beautifully unfurling flower—they operate an apothecary and workshop space out of a converted bus, grow their own herbs on a half-acre in West Valley, and sell their teas, tinctures, salves, oils, herbs, and herbal products all around the valley. They also contribute to mutual aid with efforts like their Solidarity Recipients program, to which 30% of MMC proceeds get donated to a proposed group or individual (right now it is Carry the Water, a local Indigenous Healing Garden).
This winter, they’re opening up an exciting new opportunity to become a “co-conspirator” in their efforts to spread herbalism knowledge, respectfully steward the land, and promote access to healing products.
The Co-op is going to be utilizing a Community Supported Agriculture model to support them through the winter, dubbing it their Community Supported Herbalism (CSH) program. Through the winter months of December, January, and February, MMC are hoping to gain new members of their already-existing Hedge and Bush membership, which grants members perks like digital zine subscription, a “Moonbox'' of handcrafted botanical products, plus the opportunity to vote in major MMC decisions.
If you’re already a fan of MMC’s work and products or are already interested in herbalism, farming, or community work in your own life, look into getting involved with Mobile Moon Co-op this winter. The campaign kicks off November 1 and runs through November 25, and memberships are limited, so signing up quickly is a must! You can sign up here.
Events:
November 11 and 12
4th Annual Plant Based Utah Nutrition Symposium
Whether you’re a healthcare practitioner or just passionate about plant based eating, there’s a lot to learn at the upcoming Plant Based Utah Nutrition Symposium. Representatives from the medical, nutrition, farming and food justice communities will be present to share knowledge on the benefits and importance of plant based diets. Tickets are $50 - $125 and include the cost of whole foods and plant-based breakfast and lunch—you can get 20% off with code UTAHFOOD. Based in Park City, the event runs from Friday, November 11 to Saturday November 12 and you can find tickets and info here.
November 12
Winter Farmers Market Launches
While summer is over and with it most of summer’s hallmark vegetables, the winter version of the Downtown Farmers Market is coming as swiftly as the season’s first snow has. Offering many of the same vendors as the summer market, the Winter Market still includes fresh local produce grown by farmers using tactics like tunnels—and that winter produce will include staples like potatoes, winter squash, onions and other hardy vegetables. There is also an abundance of baked goods, chocolates, meat, cheese, eggs, dried Utah cherries, Utah apples, condiments, beverages, mixers, and locally cultivated mushrooms. With food-centric holiday seasons upon us, there’s no reason to stop sourcing locally through the winter months.
The Market opens at 16 North Rio Grande Street (in The Gateway) on Saturday, November 12, and will run through April 22 of next year. Find more info here.
November 29
Mushroom Society Winter Talks
Just because foraging season is over for fungi enthusiasts doesn’t mean they can’t still have mushrooms on the mind. Join the Mushroom Society for a talk from Biology PhD candidate Kendra Autumn on the lobster mushroom—a culinary delight and mycological curio. Join the Society at utahmushrooms.org and find the talk on November 29 at 6:30 p.m. at the Marmalade Library multipurpose room. This is the first of several upcoming talks to get fungi fans through the winter.
Giving “Toolsday”
Wasatch Community Gardens is offering a unique way to participate in Giving Tuesday on November 29. Bring in your garden or kitchen tools for a walk-in clinic where you can learn about using, fixing, maintaining, and repurposing your tools—or, swap or donate them. Bring your favorite garden attire for repair from local sewing repair wizard Reanimator, or get your bike tuned up by the Bicycle Collective. Salt Lake Brewing will provide bites and sips. Visit their campus at 629 E and 800 S from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. to participate, and don't’ forget to dress warm.
Dec 3
WCG’s Love Local Holiday Market
Wasatch Community Gardens first holiday market, the Love Local Holiday Market, will have all the cozy, festive things to get your holiday season started right—opportunity to browse garden tools, art, honey, preserves, and other goods, plus local food trucks and mulled teas or wines to enjoy while wandering through a forest of decorated trees. WCG is also calling for help with decorating the trees, which will be subjects of a silent auction. Proceeds from the auction will go back to WCG’s efforts to make growing local, organic food accessible to all. Apply to volunteer by November 15, and don’t miss the market on Saturday, December 3 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at their campus on 629 E and 800 S in Salt Lake. Admission is $5 and free for kids under five. Find more info here.
Other News:
BUG Farms Fundraiser
Local urban farm BUG Farms is raising money to support a member of their farm team who has been injured and needs help covering healthcare expenses and the wages he’ll lose while he is still hurt. Without our small farmers doing the hard work of stewarding our land and feeding our community, there is no local food. We have an opportunity to show up for our small farm community which is often left behind by both our government and our economy. Read more about the fundraiser and help them reach their goal here.
New Socials for Community Fridges
If you follow the Salt Lake Community Fridges, you’ll want to know that you can keep up with the donation-based free fridges on new, separate Instagram accounts for each fridge. Follow @gulb.fridge, @rosepark.fridge, and @sugarhouse.fridge on Instagram to stay up-to-date with fridge news and needs. If you donate regularly, it’s really neat to check the stories to see which of your donated perishable goods are going the fastest, so you know what to keep bringing on future trips.
GULB’s Mountain West Cider Season Begins
At the end of last month, volunteers with Green Urban Lunch Box teamed up with Mountain West Hard Cider to process 5,000 pounds of local B-grade apples gleaned by GULB from trees around the valley into hard cider. The cider is super special as it’s made of a diverse mix of local apples, fermented by their own natural, local yeasts, qualities that make them different each year. To quote the Tribune’s article on it,
“From start to finish, all of these things happen in Salt Lake County […]The apples that were harvested were just grown right here in Salt Lake. The cider’s being made right here in Salt Lake. All the volunteers are from Salt Lake. So it’s just really a big communal event, and it really highlights that local food can taste good, and it’s completely possible as well.”
The cider will be ready by Thanksgiving, so get some for your table by visiting Mountain West at 425 N 400 W in Salt Lake.
Mushroom Society’s Porcini Campaign
The Mushroom Society is launching a campaign to give Utah a State Mushroom—the porcini. A prized wild edible the world over, Utah is lucky enough to be home to an abundance of the mushroom in late summer. Keep up with news about efforts to support the State Mushroom by following MSU here or email chandler@utahmushrooms.org to get involved.
Fungal Focus’s Salt Lake Youth Mycology
In other fungi news, local mushroom cultivator and researcher Fungal Focus is starting an afterschool club for middle and high school students to learn about mushrooms. The group will meet every other Tuesday at the Glendale Library from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., starting November 15 and going until April 18. Membership is free and open to any student who drops into a meeting. Find more info here.
We are sorry we missed our October newsletter—we had a run-in with COVID! But we hope you still found some ways to engage with local food and are ready to keep learning about our local food system with us through the winter.
As always, please reach out if there’s something we are missing or information you’d like to share—collaborations are welcome!
If you find the Utah Food Coalition newsletter useful, please share with a friend!