PARK CITY, Utah — It's the best time of year at Summit Community Gardens, and no matter your age, there is something therapeutic about playing in the garden.
"I grew up on my grandfather's farm in North Dakota and it just makes me feel like my family is here," said Annie Price, who has been gardening at Summit Community Gardens for three years.
Price says in the summer, the garden becomes her full-time job. In the past few years, she's grown from one plot to four.
"I like to grow food that is expensive for people to get but also would be popular," Price said.
Price gives a lot of what she grows to the Summit Community Gardens and EATS Food Farmacy — a program aimed at helping tackle food insecurity in the Park City area.
"Especially here, food is expensive, especially fresh vegetables are expensive, so it's just something that was easy for me to do and meaningful as well," Price said.
Helen Nadel, the executive director of Summit Community Gardens and EATS, said they grow about 1,300 pounds of food as a staff at the garden. With the help of other partners like the People's Health Clinic and Christian Center of Park City, they're finding ways to help people in the community get fresh produce.
"I really believe that everyone has the right to healthy, fresh food," Nadel said.
Outside of addressing food insecurity, Summit Community Gardens and EATS also focuses on education. They have individual plots that community members can rent to grow on, they host events at the garden, in schools and around the community, and they have kids' programs for young gardeners.
"Summit Community Gardens and EATS is an organization that's really connecting people to food and how food grows in so many ways," Nadel said. "There's so many people that come here; there's a wonderful spirit of community here."
Claire Trapp has been bringing her kids to the 1.5-acre garden for seven years. For her family, it's a sanctuary from the fast pace of life. They also love popping their veggies in the oven with some oil and salt.
"It's slowed us down, it's slowed me down, you can't rush it, it only goes as fast as it goes," Trapp said.
"To get to experience this place, it's really special to see all the food, all the flowers... the abundance nature can bring forth," Nadel said.
Soon the garden season will end, but Summit Community Gardens and EATS doesn't stop when the frost comes. Over the next part of the year and into the next, they will be visiting local schools to provide food education through cooking and speaking. They also have upcoming events like their annual fundraiser on Sept. 12, free family yoga in the garden on Sept. 22, and Dinner in the Garden later that night. To learn more about events, you can visit the Summit Community Gardens website.
