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South Jordan Journal

Local businesses sell goods at South Jordan Farmers Market

Sep 23, 2019 01:07PM ● By Libby Allnatt

Iliana Mendoza and Kimi Rasmussen smile as they sell Salsitas Mendoza salsa at the South Jordan Farmers Market on Saturday, Sept. 7. (Libby Allnatt/City Journals)

By Libby Allnatt | [email protected]

Every Saturday morning in South Jordan, trucks and vans unload produce as vendors set up colorful stands of corn, melons, peppers and other fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Now in its 11th year of operation, the South Jordan Farmers Market is one of many weekly markets throughout the valley, but it has made an impact among vendors and customers alike. 

Roberts Family Farms is one vendor that is a mainstay at the market, setting up shop every week. Dix Roberts said the farm started in 1850, with the family now on its seventh generation on the same farm. 

The Layton-based family farm’s connection to the market goes back even further than selling their wares there each week. 

“Our son was on the board, he’s a farmer, and he was on the board to have it get set up, the Farm Bureau,” said Ruth Roberts. 

The Utah Farm Bureau hosts both the South Jordan and Murray farmers markets. Ruth said while the South Jordan market may be smaller in size than its Murray counterpart, they get to know customers on a deep level, interacting with regulars every week. 

“We know their whole life story,” said Dix Roberts of the familiar faces who visit their stand each week. 

Dix and Ruth Roberts said the top sellers for Roberts Family Farms are sweet corn, potatoes and onions. Some customers have even gotten creative with the produce they pick up. Ruth said one customer has made baby food from Roberts Family Farms vegetables. 

Salsitas Mendoza is another vendor at the market that puts the “family” in “family business.”

Iliana Mendoza, who helps her parents with the salsa business, said Salsitas Mendoza has been coming to the South Jordan Farmers Market for years.  

Using local, fresh products in their salsas, Mendoza said one of her favorite parts is “knowing you’re giving back.” She also emphasizes the work ethic she has developed from seeing the work that goes into a local business, all of which are reasons she said it’s important to support local business and the values behind it. 

Kimi Rasmussen, a family friend helping at the Salsitas Mendoza stand, agreed that it is important for the community to support the kind of businesses that make up the South Jordan’s Farmers Market. 

“When it’s a family-owned business, so much heart goes into it,” Rasmussen said. 

While many visitors to the market live in South Jordan, others come from nearby towns to check out the wares and get some fresh produce each week. 

Bluffdale resident Marcia Hanson visits the South Jordan Farmers Market every Saturday. 

On a recent weekend trip to the market, she had picked up peaches, green beans and peppers and sampled some “delicious” mango salsa. 

Hanson said that while she sees familiar faces at the stands each week, she enjoys trying a little bit of everything and supporting the local vendors. 

“I have a garden and mine’s just been destroyed by grasshoppers this year,” Hanson said. “So, it’s actually cheaper to come to a farmer’s market and support these guys than to grow my own.” 

Vendors will line Towne Center Drive (off Redwood Road) just outside South Jordan City Hall every Saturday until Oct. 19 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., offering fresh, local produce.