On Thursday, November 2, join GrowNYC for the next installment of our Greenmarket Seasonal Dinner Series!  Grab your passport because the theme for this seated, four-course feast, prepared by a coterie of celebrated NYC chefs, is International Harvest.

The menu will feature passed hors d’oeuvres from Chef Ron Rosselli of Bowery Road, a Mexican dish created and prepared by James Beard-award-winning Chef Daniela Soto-Innes of Cosme, a Dominican course from Chef Charles Rodriguez of PRINT., Icelandic fare from Michelin-starred Agern's Chef Gunnar Gislason, and a Serbian dessert from Michelin-starred Gramercy Tavern's Pastry Chef, Miro Uskokovic. 

Harvest Dinner: International Cooking with Local Ingredients 
by Greenmarket/GrowNYC
WHEN: Thursday, November 2
WHERE: GROWNYC'S PROJECT FARMHOUSE, 76 East 13th Street
6pm-9pm: Harvest Dinner Fundraiser: International Cooking with Local Ingredients, benefiting GrowNYC's Project Farmhouse 

Individual Ticket, $300
Event Sponsor (includes 10 tickets), $5000
Or make a donation of any amount!
*The non-deductible portion of each ticket is $150, as this reflects the fair market value of goods and services to be provided at the event.

This fundraiser is the second in the Greenmarket Seasonal Dinner Series at GrowNYC's Project Farmhouse and will allow GrowNYC to continue working with partner organizations to offer Project Farmhouse as an educational space used for youth programming, panel discussions, film screenings, and networking events focused on a just and sustainable local food system.

Can't make it but want to make a donation to GrowNYC? Thank you, please do that here. 

Making New Year’s resolutions is a relatively easy thing to do; keeping them, on the other hand, is not always a piece of cake (especially when you resolved to give up cake). If you’re a little chagrined by your follow-through this year, fret not. You get another chance!

At GrowNYC, we believe in Summer Resolutions. There’s so much inspiration to be found at the Greenmarkets in the dog days of summer. Here are a few of our favorite Summer Resolutions:

• New Market Adventure: Visit a Greenmarket you’ve never been to before. There are 51 of them throughout NYC. You may just find your favorite new farmer!
• Take a Chance: Try a new (to you!) vegetable. Maybe it’s a tomatillo, a pattypan squash, or epazote—just something new. You could also experiment with a local grain from the GrowNYC Grainstand that you’ve never cooked with before. (Related hot tip: keep an eye out for naked barley).
• Gear Up for Winter: Connect with your inner squirrel and prepare for winter. All those beautiful fruits and vegetables at market now can be enjoyed year-round…with a little planning. Here are some tips for freezing, jamming, and pickling. 
• Many Greenmarket farmers welcome visitors for wine tastings, apple picking, and tours - head out of town to visit them. 
• Fertilizing Fervor: With more and more compost drop-off sites popping up all around the city, now’s the perfect time to make good on that vow to start composing. It’s like nature’s way of recycling, and it feels great.

This list could go on and on--Cook more fish! Make it Locally-Sourced Fish! Consistently Pack a Lunch!--but we’ve got just over 60 days of summer left. We hope you enjoy it!

Join GrowNYC and Greenmarket for a conversation with Paul Greenberg and Stephanie Villani about the current state of seafood and politics surrounding the fishing industry.

Paul Greenberg, sustainable fisheries expert and New York Times bestselling author, is featured in the PBS Frontline special, "The Fish on My Plate," airing April 25, 2017.  Stephanie and her husband Alex own Blue Moon Fish, a family operation that catches wild, local fish off the coast of Mattituck, on the North Folk of Long Island. 

Sustainable Seafood Q & A and Cookbook Release Celebration
Thursday, June 15th
4pm-6pm, $15
Earlier in the evening, eventgoers will grab a drink and seafood appetizer prepared by Bowery Road restaurant before participating in a Q & A with Paul and Stephanie, and celebrate the release of Stephanie's new cookbook, "The Fisherman's Wife." 
Tickets here

Summer Seafood Dinner
Thursday, June 15th
7pm-10pm, $300 or sponsorship table of 10, $5000 (Table host recognized at event and featured in electronic event materials)
Dinner ticket holders will enjoy cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres followed by a seated four-course dinner, featuring local and sustainably-sourced seafood and shellfish, prepared by Bill Telepan of Oceana, Melissa Rodriguez of Del Posto, Howard Kalachnikoff of Gramercy Tavern, Kerry Heffernan of Grand Banks, and Ron Paprocki of Gotham Bar and Grill. Spirits have been generously donated by New York Distilling Company and beer by Brooklyn Brewery. 
Tickets here
*The non-deductible portion of each ticket is $150, as this reflects the fair market value of goods and services to be provided at the event.

This fundraiser is the first in the Greenmarket Seasonal Dinner Series at GrowNYC's Project Farmhouse and will allow GrowNYC to continue working with partner organizations to offer Project Farmhouse as an educational space used for panel discussions, film screenings, and networking events focused on a just and sustainable local food system.

There are so many ways to connect with us at market and online, but now we want to see all your best photos in one place. We’re happy to introduce #GMKTnyc. 

GMKT stands for Greenmarket, and nyc is, well NYC: this phenomenal city where we operate over 50 Greenmarkets. We want to see your peak produce photos, what seasonal recipes you’re cooking, what farmers are farming, and more. Throughout the week we'll regram our favorites across all our accounts. (P.S. Be sure to follow them all here!)

In addition to using #GMKTnyc, tag us in other ways,  whether you’re shopping in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, or the Bronx! 

#GMKTDogs
For all those shots of your darling dog shopping with you at market. 

#GMKTHolidays
Cooking for a holiday with market ingredients? Snap a pic and share it! 

#OhSNAPnyc
Did you buy something delicious with SNAP benefits or Health Bucks? Maybe you cooked a delicious meal with it. Tag us!

#letsGrowNYC
Tag GrowNYC in your photos and show us how you live sustainably in NYC!

#YMKTnyc
GrowNYC operates 18 Youthmarkets throughout NYC. Include #YMKTnyc on your photos featuring this magnificent program that brings fresh, affordable local produce to neighborhoods throughout the city while at the same time empowering NYC youth.

#growtolearnnyc and #learntogrow
Gardens can be particularly photogenic. Photos of Grow-to-learn school gardens have an innate quality of determination. Spread the joy with either of these hashtags. 

A message from Red Jacket Orchards -- 

After more than 25 years with GrowNYC, Red Jacket Orchards will no longer be at the weekly Greenmarkets. We are humbled and immensely grateful for the support of our NYC customers—you’ve stood by us at every step, including our challenges with climate issues and crop loss, and we thank you. We are also deeply grateful to GrowNYC and their staff, as well as our own staff at the Greenmarkets.

It is your fierce commitment to local producers that sets the tone for purposeful consuming, and we encourage you to support the local purveyors at the Greenmarkets of NYC. For information about other farms at your market, visit GrowNYC. And of course, you will always be able to buy our fresh fruits and delicious cold pressed juices at stores in your community.

With the new year just around the corner, now is the time to start thinking about your resolutions. This year, why not make some resolutions you can actually stick to? Here are some of what we'll be doing to improve ourselves, our city and our environment in 2017.

1.   Say goodbye to plastic bags, for good. Greenmarket is committed to reducing plastic usage at our markets and several of our farmers are now offering reusable totes, bread and produce bags for sale. In 2017, make it a priority to make sure you always carry a reusable tote and produce bags and let's cut down on the amount of plastic we put into landfills.
2.   Drop off your food scraps. Since Greenmarkets began collecting food scraps for composting, we’ve collected over 7 million pounds of food waste that would otherwise be in a landfill. The rich compost created from these scraps is then used in community gardens, parks and other green spaces. Composting has never been easier with 22 of our year-round markets accepting food scraps.
3.    Clean out your closets AND your junk drawers. Old textiles can be dropped off at 20 year-round markets or find a Stop ‘N’ Swap in your neighborhood to bring unwanted clean, reusable, portable items such as clothing, house wares, games, books, & toys so they can find a home with someone else. You might also find something you need for your home!
4.    Become a Greenmarket Volunteer. Greenmarket hosts volunteer orientations every month and provides opportunities to help, both indoors and out in the elements, year round.
5.    Sign up for your first Winter Fresh Food Box. Our popular Fresh Food Box program has expanded the number of Winter Fresh Food Box sites to 10 this year. Pick-up locations in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan provide access to a pre-packed selection of affordable fresh produce from December to May. 
6.    Boost your workouts with ancient grains. The high-protein, low-gluten grains our Regional Grains Project sells at their stand are the perfect base for clean, simple meals after the indulgent holiday season. Try this wheatberry salad with kale and butternut squash for a healthy, protien packed lunch or dinner. 
7.    Introduce a friend to the Greenmarkets. Shopping at a Greenmarket is not just about fresh, healthy, local food, it’s about the community. Make a shopping date with a friend who has never shopped at Greenmarket and show them the enormous bounty our region has to offer right at their finger tips each week at their local Greenmarket.
8.    Eat at a restaurant committed to sourcing their food locally. For those nights you just don't feel like cooking (never, right?), there are many restaurants around NYC that purchase from Greenmarket and GrowNYC Wholesale all year long.      
9.    Get your hands dirty. Looking for a fun way to bond with your coworkers while doing some good? Get your company involved and sign up for a corporate volunteer day to help build or refurbish a community garden in the city.
10.  Visit Staten Island. A trip on the Staten Island Ferry is always a nice ride but it’s even more fun now that you can visit our St. George Greenmarket year-round.    

Join us for Greenmarket's First Annual Rutabaga Curling Competition! 

Union Square Greenmarket 
Union Square Park - North End 
Friday, December 9th
12pm - 3pm

This event is during the Union Square Friday Greenmarket and is free and open to the public for attending, viewing & cheering.

Sign up for the VIEWER - Rutabaga Curling Competition ticket if you want to attend but not participate. 
Sign up for the PARTICIPANT - Rutabaga Curling Competition ticket to enter in as a contestant (also free, but only 20 spots!). 
Attendee and Participant Tickets Here!
 

PARTICIPANT INFO

The court is approximately 55' long, 8' wide, lined with wooden planks and ends with one big circular target. Contestants are divided into sections (three players per section). The top finisher in each section qualifies for Round Two and the top finishers from that round qualify for the Championship Round. The top two contestants in the championship round are awarded gold and silver, along with a small prize from the market and, of course, eternal bragging rights. Each contestant gets one roll per round. Once a rutabaga has been thrown it shall lay on the field of play until all other contestants in that section have rolled. Thrown rutabagas are subject to being knocked by subsequent rolls. 

Participants can BYOR (Bring Your Own Rutabaga), but we will also have some available for use. 

Participation is free, but if you sign up you as a participant you are commited so please be there! 

Questions? Contact Liz at lcarollo@grownyc.org. 

This week, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced New York State's investment of $15 million in the construction of a new Greenmarket Regional Food Hub in the Bronx.  

The hub, which will be used by GrowNYC's GrowNYC Wholesale program, will be a state-of-the-art 120,000 square foot facility that will greatly increase New Yorkers' access to the freshest, most nutritious locally grown food the region has to offer.

From the press release:

The Greenmarket Regional Food Hub will be located in the Hunts Point neighborhood in the Bronx and will include a wholesale farmers’ market, a cold storage facility for farmers, a food-processing center and other infrastructure to support local food businesses. The new food hub will work with a range of small- and mid-sized farms, providing unprecedented access to New York City’s wholesale marketplace. The processing facility will also assist Upstate producers and processors in targeting institutional and private sector procurement opportunities. In addition, the food hub will facilitate the expansion of farmers’ markets and youth markets in underserved communities.

Volunteers are a major source of strength for nonprofits and GrowNYC is fortunate to have the time, effort and talents of so many dedicated New Yorkers. Whether they are corporate groups giving back to the community by helping with a garden build for a neighborhood or school or a single individual who feels passionate about what GrowNYC does, we are extremely grateful.  Want to volunteer with GrowNYC?

Jonathan Kong started volunteering with GrowNYC in 2014, quickly establishing himself as a tireless worker and enthusiastic supporter of all things GrowNYC.  But in 2016, Jonathan has taken things to a new level: Creating and undertaking The Greenmarket Challenge: a quest to volunteer at all 54 Greenmarket farmers markets in 1 year.  

We spoke with Jonathan what inspires him, which Greenmarket is his favorite, and much more:
 

How long have you been volunteering with GrowNYC?

This is my third year.

What is it about GrowNYC that inspires you to work with us?

I really like the environment, working outdoors, getting to interact with the public, doing hands-on activities such as the cooking demos, and learning something new about myself everyday.

Favorite activity when volunteering?

Cooking demos are always fun to do because I get to see the actual ingredients I'm using and use them with the recipe. Outreach is great since I get to see the diversity of people who live in different neighborhoods.

How many different Greenmarket locations have you volunteered at?

So far about 30, but I plan to volunteer at all of them by the end of this year.

Do you have a favorite Greenmarket?

I like Union Square a lot because there's a lot of different activities going on down there and it's really easy to get to. I also have favorite markets for each region: Forest Hills for Queens, Columbia for Upper Manhattan, Tompkins for Lower Manhattan, Fort Greene for Brooklyn, and Parkchester for Bronx.

Favorite fruit and/or vegetable?

I tend to go for tropical fruits like mangos, pineapples and coconuts, but they don't sell them at the markets.

What would you tell someone who was considering volunteering with GrowNYC?

Volunteering with GrowNYC will help you improve your social skills, build confidence in yourself, and feel comfortable working with other people.