Students and the surrounding community can buy fresh local Utah produce at the fifth annual LaVell Edwards Stadium Farmers Market every Thursday from Aug. 7 through Oct. 30.
Hosted by BYU’s Dining Services, the farmers market helps local community, supports sustainability and provides students access to fresh produce and baked goods as well as local crafts and arts.
“We will have between 33 and 41 vendors every week until the end of the farmers market in October,” said Sara Heaps, coordinator of the farmers market. “There were 600 to 1,000 people every week last year, and we are expecting the same amount of participants this year.”
At the market, participants can sample different produce available, including BYU Executive Chef John McDonald’s creations.
McDonald creates free samples featuring different items available for purchase at the farmers market for participants every week. He created a dried cherry baby kale salad with pecans on the first day of the farmers market.
He said he would rotate through all the items during the three months, depending on the availability of the food. Upcoming features may include squash with pumpkin later in the season.
BYU student Michael Bean and his wife, Wendy Bean brought their daughter to the farmers market for the second year.
“It’s fun to see what people have grown and made,” Wendy Bean said. “We bought three bags of chocolate-covered cherries and some berries. I feel good for not needing to travel a lot and get to buy fresh produce.”
“They taste real,” Michael Bean said.
SueAnne Pace, of SueAnne’s Garden in Salem, said the farmers market provided an opportunity for people to get out in the fresh air and buy fresh food. She picks the food she sells on the same day, and she tries to grow her food as organically as possible.
“The food you find here is better than the ones in (the) grocery store,” Pace said. “It’s fresher. Most stuff you find in store is from other states, but the food we sell are grown locally.”
Vending for her second time at the market, Pace said the vendors and customers are nice.
“Customers come back every week,” she said.
Vendors also sell crafts and arts. The Stadium Farmers Market is located in the stadium’s south parking lot every Thursday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. or dusk, from Aug. 7 to Oct. 30.
