BY SUN VALLEY INSTITUTE
Harvest season is here! With the last Hailey Farmers’ Market of the year on Thursday, Sept. 24, and the final Ketchum Market on Tuesday, Sept. 29, now is the time to stock up on storage crops like potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, and winter squash. It’s also the last chance to buy cases of tomatoes, green beans, peppers, sweet corn, apples and peaches for canning. Storing and preserving local fruits and vegetables are great ways to extend the harvest season.
Don’t stop eating local just because the market is over. Take the $5 for Farmers Pledge at 5forfarmers.com and commit to spending $5 on local food every week. It’s just the nudge you need to keep seeking out those locally grown and produced foods through the winter. Kraay’s, NourishMe and Atkinsons’ have delicious local food options every day of the year. If you’re already thinking about getting even more fresh produce next year, now is the time to get on your favorite farm’s email list so that you’ll be the first to know about their offerings for the 2021 season.
Looking back at the uncertainty we faced this spring, Sun Valley Institute and our Food & Farm program, Local Food Alliance, are proud of the role we played in making sure the 2020 Farmers’ Market season was successful. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we helped fund and implement an online ordering platform for the Ketchum Market that generated close to $68,000 in revenue and more than 1,100 orders as of mid-September. Our efforts also catalyzed the gathering of leftover, unsold produce from the market to donate to The Hunger Coalition. A big thank you to everyone who helped to provide nutritious local food to our community!