When she’s not creating ceramic sculptures or planning her escape to Africa to save baby rhinos, you can find her here at Farm Fresh Market, where’s she’s always ready to lend a helping hand! Meet Becca, who once performed in a choir at Carnegie Hall, and knows from experience that you can’t walk a cat on a leash.
What do you do at Farm Fresh Market and how long have you worked here?
About a month and a half. I do all sorts of things, produce, cashier. I like to help make improvements when I can. I like to organize and do whatever I can to make business run smoothly.
What drew you to natural foods?
I am very concerned with the environment and animal welfare, so it’s important that I learn all that I can and help support smaller farms. I am interested in cruelty-free meat, and the more humane treatment of animals. I am kind of beginning with natural foods, I am learning to eat healthier for myself so I can improve my own health and the health of those around me.
Are you a native Washingtonian? No, I am an army brat, born in Germany. I moved to Washington about 5 years ago to start my life over, before that I lived in Alabama, and Colorado, etc; I’m pretty well traveled. I love Washington! I miss fireflies and thunderstorms though!
What’s your favorite thing about working at Farm Fresh Market? I have some really great coworkers. I am really lucky to have an amazing boss who really cares and is passionate about their work. I also really love seeing all of the local vendors come in with all of their lovingly handcrafted products. Oh, and giving stickers to kids at the register!
Do you have any products you love? I love the Nineveh Za’atar Pita Chips, I love them with the Exquisite and Traditional Hummus, and of course all of the fresh produce. I can’t wait to get some “alien broccoli” aka Romanesco Broccoli!
What’s your favorite summer meal?
Good grilled bbq meat, doesn’t matter what cut, with some vegetables grilled up too.
What do you do in your free time?
I do ceramics, I love to build animal sculptures, I’m very inspired to make some produce pieces now. I love playing with cats and spending any time with any animals! Of course I like to binge on Netflix and things like that, but that’s not as cool! I like to take local hikes, I wish I could turn my cat into a dog so that he could go hiking!
Wild hedgerows,hay fields, forest, and a shimmering creek provide the backdrop for the beautiful 35 acres that make up Rising River Farm. Owners Jim McGinn and Jennifer Belknap grow over 100 varieties of organic veggies, culinary herbsand strawberrieson their property in Rochester, Washington.
That's along way from where they started in 1994 when Jim McGinn and a couple friends co-founded Rising River on 3 acres of leased land. Their tractors were borrowed, their office was the back of an old pick-up truck, and they lived out of a couple of trailers and a school bus. Their goal was, and still is, to create healthy soil that yields healthy food. Through careful stewardship of their land and enthusiastic community support they have grown their farm. They continue to promote healthy soil and reduce the presence of disease and pests through rotation, cover cropping, resting of the land, and proper fertilization.
Jennifer Belknap came on the scene in 1997 after Jim's partners moved on to other callings. She had her own roots in farming, starting in 1994 in Vermont. She went on to co-found her own cooperatively-run vegetable farm in the Skagit River Valley. Since then Jim and Jennifer
have run Rishing River together, had two children, and gotten married. And things just keep growing for them.
Their CSA program is thriving and you can find them at the Olympia Farmers Market and Tacoma Procter Markets. Not to mention in our very own produce case right here at Farm Fresh Market! Ask us next time your in and we'll be happy to point out which of our fresh, organic produce was grown by Jim, Jennifer and the crew at Rising River Farm. Find out more about Rising River at their website risingriverfarm.com
You may have noticed abizarre summer phenomenon taking place in grocery stores. People standing in the produce section with afar off look in their eyes,picking up the melons, rattling and banging on them, smelling and poking them. You've probably even been thisperson and you may or may not have known what you were listening for. We're here to help. Allow us to demystify the art of picking the perfect melon.
1) Look for a melon that feels heavy for its size.
2) Make sure there's no stem. If the stem is still attached that indicates the melon is not mature!
3) Push on the stem end to ensure it's soft, but not mushy.
4) Smell the stem end to see if it smells sweet.
You can use these four cues to help you pick out any variety of melon. They are universal signs that your melon will be delicious. It's not always easy to smell a cold melon though, and trying to gauge the weight can be tedious. Luckily, each variety of melon has its own set of tells that can make the job easier.
Watermelon
1) Thump it with your palm. If you hear a thud, it's ripe!
2)Check where the watermelon rested on the soil. It's ripe if there is a yellow or cream-colored spot.
Cantaloupe
1) Give it a thump. If it's ripe, it will sound hollow.
2) Check under the netting. If the rind is yellow, it's ripe!
Honeydew
1) Look for a creamy yellow color. Avoid any that are green or extremely soft.
2) Shake the honeydew. If you can hear the seeds rattling, you've got a ripe melon.
