Lemon Herbed Poussins

Preheat oven to 450* F

Mix 2 Tbsp butter, 1 tsp lemon zest, 1 tsp fresh chopped thyme, 1/2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary and a dash of salt and pepper with a fork.

Rinse thawed poussins and pat dry. Carefully push the herbed butter mixture under the skin with your fingers and massage the bird from the outside to spread the mixture over the breasts and onto the legs.

Season each bird’s cavity with salt and pepper, a thyme sprig, and a lemon wedge or two.

Roast seasoned poussins in a shallow baking pan in the upper third of your oven for 30-40 minutes- until your meat thermometer inserted into the fleshy part of a thigh reads 170* F

Serve on a bed of wilted, seasonal greens and enjoy the giant flavors of these bitty birds!

We are especially excited to feature local author Jeff Poppen, aka the Barefoot Farmer, whose biodynamic produce is found throughout our grocery selection and our menu!

For anyone interested in learning more about biodynamic farming, Jeff Poppen is a phenomenal resource. His humus-rich Long Hungry Creek Farm is one of the oldest (30 years) and largest (300 acres) organic farms in Tennessee! They aim to grow the highest quality farm products that they can, while remaining as independent as possible regarding feed and fertilizer needs through using biodynamic methods.

One clove of Long Hungry Creek Farm biodynamic garlic is enough to convince anyone of the nutritious and health-promoting power of biodynamics. The Barefoot Farmer book offers a hand-held collection of the very best of Jeff’s years of writing about his experiences in biodynamic farming. Get lost in his wisdom and humor as he explains the practical aspects of biodynamic farming with obvious reverence for the spiritual side of agriculture!

These hard-working folks put an amazing amount of  time, care, and energy into cultivating a vibrantly healthy land to raise their pigs, goats, cattle, chickens, turkeys and vegetables. Using organic and sustainable farming practices, they continue to improve the soils in their fields and pastures which provide them with healthy grass for their animals to forage and provides our store and the community with healthy animals.

Before we could get started, we had to borrow some hay bales from the piggies. They didn’t seem to mind.

Whether it was visiting with the animals, enjoying the beautiful weather, or witnessing the pride of Dave’s hard work, it made our day to get out of the kitchen and into the fields!

Under the watchful eye of their guard dogs, herds of goats munched away at overgrowth and invasive species that the cows across the pasture didn’t have a taste for. At first they scurried away from us, but it wasn’t long before they got curious enough to wander over and stare us down with their rectangular pupils.

The goats put up a good front, but when it came to staring, the varied breeds of cattle jostling for a spot in the shade of one tree won hands down. We had to try pretty hard not to feel like we were the ones on display while Dave spoke about the various breeds and individual cattle.

Then we were on to visit with the layers, where we helped Dave collect eggs, and fed the hens a mix of certified organic, soy-free, whole grain feed that looks good enough to put in a soup! Their focus on providing the hens pasture and quality feed may take more work, but it is extremely beneficial for the hens and ensures that their eggs are more nutrient-dense, with a rich flavor and great quality. So many people have discovered how much difference this makes that we sometimes have trouble keeping them stocked in our cooler.

A flutter of hens and the resident rooster made us feel very welcome. They followed us around their pasture pen with great intent. Of course, it was the delicious feed we brought that they were really interested in. While they pecked the feed from their long communal troughs, we gathered eggs from the portable shelter that houses their nesting boxes. We also took a gander at their portable roost, where they spend the night, increasing their chance of survival against the predators of the great outdoors.

Dave noted the difference in the body structure of the layers versus the broiler chickens we had visited earlier in the day, and passed a hen around so we could feel the difference ourselves. The layers have a more naturally balanced body, which will remain healthy through many seasons of egg-laying if they are properly cared for. The broilers have been developed to have a larger breast which, though very desirable in the culinary world, causes the birds’ overall structure to be out of balance by the time they are fully grown. The bone structure of the bird does not develop as quickly as the muscle (meat), which means they would quickly develop joint and skeletal problems if they were not harvested at a young age.

We caught up with some gawky turkeys, all of whom are already promised to upcoming Holiday tables. Dave talked with us about the challenges of raising turkeys and how their demands are different from chickens. The very limited supply of turkeys was an opportunity for Dave to teach us about predators of the birds and what a farmer can do to protect them.

Next we got to meet Ernie, a far more adorable creature, and the newest member of the all-star cattle team. At just three days old, he was awkwardly running around being curious yet defensive, and trying to keep all of his mama’s milk to himself! Once he and his mom, Emma, both calmed down, Dave was patient enough to teach several of us how to milk a cow.

An amazing day in the fields ended with a very informative chat around Dave and Verlinda’s kitchen table. In a short amount of time, we were able to learn much about the values and challenges of sustainable farming and its stark differences from industrial farming. One of the largest challenges in small-scale animal farming is being able to successfully market a product that is superior to mass-produced meats which also carries a higher price tag.

Small farmers who market their product themselves are faced with the challenge of very little available infrastructure to turn their whole live animals into a packaged meat product sell-able at grocery stores or farmers’ markets. River Ridge Farms’ animals are slaughtered and butchered in independent USDA-inspected facilities. Very few of these facilities still exist to service the small farmer. The majority of slaughterhouses are cogs in a larger corporate entity, such as Tyson or Smithfield. As a result, farmers such as Dave and Verlinda must travel as far as Bowling Green, KY to get their chickens processed in a USDA facility, a journey which greatly adds to the cost of the finished product. Though it seems strange, there is no USDA-inspected slaughterhouse in the entire state of Tennessee that a small farmer can take his chickens to for processing so he can legally sell them at grocers or farmers’ markets.

Small, independent processors are also faced with the challenges of price competition against the larger processors. They do not have the “economies of scale” the larger processors have and they generally have better workplace practices than industrial processors. The work may be safer for the laborers and the products safer for consumers, but these improvements again drive up the price of meats coming from small, local farms.  The growing support of local food systems may help remedy these infrastructure problems over time, as more people demand local products in stores and in their diets.

Greater demand may lead to development of better infrastructure, which has the potential to make small-scale farming of local meat more price competitive with industrial meats in the long run.  This a a both mundane and fascinating challenge to our local food economy, and we hope sharing our learning will help our community see the value in the higher-priced, higher-quality meats River Ridge Farms produces. We hope you’ll take the opportunity to visit with Dave and learn more about his farm at our Half-Birthday Celebration on Sunday, November 13.

We left the farm with a sense of awe at the passion Dave and Verlinda put into their farm. Each day we are grateful for the opportunity we have through our retail store to help them provide high-quality, superior-flavored, and nutrient-dense meat and eggs to our community. We had a beautiful day that reminded us about the greater purpose of what we do in our store. We hope you enjoyed our sharing a bit of our day on the farm and learning with you, and we hope you enjoy finding Dave and Verlinda’s products in our store.

Here we see Shannon in her natural habitat with our biggest, baddest immersion blender we have in the Just Ripe kitchen whipping up a serious batch of cilantro pesto for the weekend Sweet Potato Burrito rush while thinking about her favorite things.

At the top of her list is Hudson’s Smoked Tomato Jam from Sunburst Trout Company. When asked about it, she admitted she did not want to tell anyone how amazing it was so she could have it all to herself! The bottle may be small stacked next to our other amazing jams and jellies, but it comes with the powerful flavor of the tomatoes of Haywood County, NC where Sunburst Trout Company calls home! It has the versatility to be paired with biscuits and bagels, baked onto brie, or glazed over chicken, pork and fish and comes from a great company that has been family-owned and operated for 3 generations!

And then there is the powerfully addicting Cranberry Orange Cashew Granola from Bakery on Main. These folks work hard to create amazing products that are all wheat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, casein-free, non-GMO, Kosher certified, low in sodium and saturated fat, and free of cholesterol and trans fats! That might make you feel better about eating the entire bag in one sitting. Not that Shannon has done that or anything…..

photo credited to www.phickles.com

As a spicy side to a sandwich or tangy afternoon snack, these tasty gems are just better than your average pickle! All of Phickles Pickles are made with local ingredients and a lot of excitement at a family-owned business in Athens, GA. Okies may be Shannon’s favorites, but we also carry Phickled carrots, snap beans, green tomatoes, jalapenos, and asparagus. All of them come with a friendly kick and can be served a number of ways such as tasty cocktail garnishes (bloody mary anyone?), fried up with tempura, or alongside some fine cheeses!

We are super stoked to be part of the kickoff for this local-loving program that Knoxville CBID has put together for this great downtown! Buy Downtown Knoxville is a gift card that works at a growing list of downtown shops and restaurants. It is the perfect gift for picky friends, employees, or folks that are new to the great things downtown has to offer. You can purchase, reload, or use up your Buy Downtown Knoxville cards at Just Ripe! Check out their website to find out more about the program and the other merchants involved at buydowntownknoxville.org

1. It is delicious…duh
2. We can absorb all of those awesome nutrients that we crave from our fruits and vegetables faster and easier
3. Skipping a few steps in the process really helps out the digestive system by saving it energy and digestive enzymes
4. Speaking of enzymes, fresh juice is chock full of them! After your first sip, you can almost feel them going to work digesting food, stimulating the brain, providing cellular energy, and repairing all types of body tissue.
5. Every cup is one more convenient step towards reaching our daily fruit and veggie goals which take up half of the new “My Plate” recommendations from the USDA (we are so glad they kicked the pyramid)
6. Natural sugars in natural proportions satisfy sweet tooth cravings and boost energy without the insulin spike and inevitable crash of refined sugars
7. Fiber and protein and phytochemicals, oh my! All of the best parts of fruits and vegetables are in their juice and your body will be more than happy to receive a super dose of them
8. Hydration! Liquids are a crucial to our bodies’ basic functions and fresh juices are a quick way to rack up on them
9. Thanks to variety of local and regional produce available, we never get bored with putting new things together! Our staff is always trying new combinations and share the tastiest ones with our customers. Check our drink menu or come by the shop to see what we’re mixing up next!

We have been so excited and grateful for the positive feedback from all of our early customers and are working hard to continue curating our grocery selection and assembling our menu.

Our grocery selection is chock full of local and regional delights, goodies from independent producers and tons healthy choices for your every day needs. We have embarked on a continuous journey to work directly with producers and distributors to promote a food system that benefits our customers, our community, and our future.

The kitchen has been cranking out a delicious selection of grab-and-go lunches such as Chickpea Salad Sandwiches and Pimento Cheese Spreads and we have been perfecting our recipes and our work team to create a seasonally-driven menu of made-to-order foods.

Come visit us today!

513 Union Avenue

Knoxville, TN 37902

open 8-8 daily

We are cooks, we are independent, we are grocers, we are idealistic, we are seasonally driven, we are local, we are curious, we are natural, we are just ripe.

Our passion for sustainable food systems and love for our community is baked into every scone and folded into every breakfast burrito we make! As we continue on this journey, we aim to share excitement and knowledge with our customers. Many of the products throughout the store are labeled with the following categories to help patrons understand and appreciate their purchases even more!

local & regional products

We’re excited about the unique and tasty foods of our region which are crafted by small producers who love what they do. We brought them here to share with you, and made them easy to find with LOCAL (200 miles) and REGIONAL (500 miles) designations on the shelves.

independent producers

Diversity in our food options and food supply is important to the long-term health of communities and our country. Food industry consolidation limits consumer choices to the control of a few large companies, despite the variety of brand names. We choose to offer products from smaller, lesser known companies whenever we can in order to support the viability of small-ness and choice.

cooperative ownership

A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit. Cooperatives come in all shapes and sizes, and exist to meet various economic, social and cultural needs. We believe the cooperative structure fosters the honest and responsible business practices we value and we support other cooperative businesses by offering their products whenever possible.