Winter Warrior of the Week: Suzy Knutson

Suzy, her husband, Jesse, and their dog, Olive, at the Capitol Hill Farmers Market

When Suzy Knutson says that food access and supporting local farmers is important to her, she means it. When she’s not working on community relations for Fresh Bucks, (a program that we partner with to make fresh food accessible to everyone), she can be found at the University District or Capitol Hill Farmers Markets, experimenting with new recipes in her colorful kitchen, or working in a community garden that donates to local food banks.

Suzy says that even when she travels, she makes a point to check out the nearest farmers market and do some home-away-from-home cooking. The farmers markets are a central part of her life. She and her husband, Jesse, and their dog, Olive, will go every weekend, rain or shine, to pick up fresh veggies for the week. When they get home, they’ll put on a podcast or a movie and wash and prep all of their veggies for the week.

When she moved to Seattle from Minneapolis 15 years ago, Suzy almost instantly became a member of the local farmers market community. In her 15 years as a Seattleite, she has lived in many different neighborhoods, but has always ended up near a farmers market. She says she’s loved watching the markets evolve and grow over the years.

“I love how [the markets] are a center of the community and continue to grow,” she said, recalling the days when she lived in West Seattle and the farmers market was in a parking lot, and not on California Ave, where it lives today.

As farmers market regulars, Suzy and her husband will often run into friends and neighbors at the markets, and she says that’s one of her favorite parts about their routine. The farmers market community is part of what makes the experience so special. The farmers markets are a natural part of Suzy’s weekend, but it’s something that she looks forward to and enjoys.

She says that many people don’t realize how close the farmers markets are to them. She makes a habit of walking or taking the light rail to the markets whenever she can. Suzy is always trying to show people how easy it is to support local farmers by helping them find their nearest farmers market, and reminding them that there are markets that are open year-round.

Suzy is an amazing advocate for local farmers and food justice in everything that she does, from her work life, to her personal life, and we are so grateful that she is a part of our farmers market family.