2013 Farm to City Expo
Monday, March 4, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
655 W. 34th St

Attend panels on local purchasing and food infrastructure, followed by networking opportunities, and learn about Greenmarket Co. from GrowNYC executive director Marcel Van Ooyen, on a panel devoted to exploring regional wholesale infrastructure (12:20-1:10 p.m.). Enjoy all day access to over 40 New York farms and food companies at the Pride of New York MarketPlace.

Register by February 28 using this link: http://bit.ly/WP1rgI

View the flyer:

It was a “Wheat and Greet” that set the tone for the weekend as attendees arrived on a Friday night late last month for NOFA-NY’s annual Winter Conference in Saratoga Springs, New York. Local breads, pastas, beer, and spirits flowed freely as tasters chatted with the growers and processors who created them. Standout products included Flour City’s emmer fusilli and Kelso Brewery’s Rauchbier made with a smoked triticale malt, both of which consistently surprised people with outstanding flavors not normally associated with beer and pasta. To the question most heard throughout the night — “Where can I buy this?” — suppliers could happily point people to the many stores now stocking their products. Not bad for a region that just a few years ago did not have much in the way of food-quality grain.

On Saturday, Greenmarket and the Organic Growers’ Research and Information-Sharing Network, hosted a workshop on grain processing where presenters shared their products and experiences with a crowd of current or aspiring entrepreneurs hoping to launch their own thriving business in the delicious world of grains – be it growing, malting, milling, baking, or distilling, to name just a few. Greenmarket and OGRIN debuted their recently completed technical assistance video: A local Grain Renaissance in the Northeast.

Each year, the conference features a “grains track” with workshops covering topics like how to set up a malting facility to work with the many new regional distilleries; how to grow and mill food-grade grains, and new research on crop yields and disease resistance among the many grain varieties in the region.

While there is still much to be done, the NOFA-NY conference showed that the links in the supply chain are strengthening, new infrastructure is being built, and the wonderful symbiosis from farmer, to grain processor, to consumer continues to grow.

If you missed the conference, fear not! Greenmarket and the Organic Growers’ Research and Information-Sharing Network host a Shortcourse on Grain Processing in the Northeast on March 2 at Glynwood in Cold Spring, NY. Contact Elizabeth Dyck at OGRIN (edyck@ogrin.org) to register.

Due to Winter Storm Nemo, some Greenmarkets and services provided at those Greenmarkets, including compost and textile collection, will have schedule changes this weekend. We will provide updated information at this blog post.

Greenmarket Weekend Updates

Sunday Greenmarkets are OPEN and FULL, come visit your farmers and stock up for the week! See below for compost and textile collection information.

Compost and Textile Collections Schedule for Saturday 2/9 and Sunday 2/10

In the coming months, GrowNYC's Open Space Greening Assistant Director Lenny Librizzi will be presenting a series of Stormwater Management workshops at NYC botanical gardens.

These two-hour workshops will cover stormwater management best practices for community gardeners and homeowners. Learn how to conserve water and help prevent pollution from stormwater by discussing topics such as rainwater harvesting, swales, rain gardens, enhanced tree pits, permeable paving, and more.

Information about sources for start-up materials and how-to tips will be discussed.

New York Botanical Garden (Bronx) Wednesday, February 6, 6pm to 8pm
Watson Education Building
Registration required; e-mail bronxgreenup@nybg.org or call 718.817.8026. 

Brooklyn Botanic Garden 
Wednesday, February 27, 6pm to 8pm
Registration required; Enroll here. 

Queens Botanical Garden
Saturday, April 6, 11am to 1pm
Fee: Free with Garden Admission (pre-registration required)
Registration required; e-mail schoolprograms@queensbotanical.org or call 718-886-3800 x.230.

On Sunday, city officials, community partners, and compost enthusiasts gathered at the Carroll Gardens Greenmarket to celebrate a benchmark for GrowNYC’s food scrap collection program: ONE MILLION POUNDS!

Since the pilot program launched in March 2011, one million pounds of food scraps have been dropped off at Greenmarket’s collection sites, diverting that much food from the waste stream.

Emily Rubenstein, Assistant Commissioner of Sanitation, Recycling and Sustainability at DSNY, City Council Member Brad Lander, Birdie NYC and GrowNYC Executive Director Marcel Van Ooyen applauded the efforts of all those who have made this achievement possible.

“We’re thrilled that Speaker Quinn and the New York City Council helped launch the compost program last year and that DSNY stepped in this year to bring the successful pilot to the next level.  We’re demonstrating that the City of New York is not lagging far behind California and other places where compost has taken root. New Yorkers across the City are eager to participate and reduce waste while creating a valuable resource that will benefit local gardens and farms,” said GrowNYC Executive Director Marcel Van Ooyen.

Look up your nearest food scrap drop-off site here, and find out what can be contributed here. Once it’s dropped off, the material is transported to compost sites and urban agriculture projects within the five boroughs. We’re also signing people up for our winter incentive program—the Winter Compost Warrior. Visitors can sign in at our info tent when they visit the market, noting their weekly attendance and compost contribution. There’s a compost-related prize in it for those Winter Compost Warriors who check in ten or more times in the coming twelve weeks.

At the beginning of the New Year, this monumental benchmark lets us set a new goal for the year ahead. How much compost can we make in 2013?

Looking for a New Year's resolution you can stick with? One that makes you feel good, look good, and doesn't require a monthly membership fee? Look no further, here are 11 simple ways to make 2013 a happy and healthy year.

1) PASS ON PLASTIC. We know you have tons of reusable bags in your apartment; carry a few with you while shopping at Greenmarkets and give up plastic bags for good.

2) FALL IN LOVE WITH RUTABAGA. Boil them, steam them, roast them, or put in tarts, soups, or salads - turnips, beets, rutabagas and the rest of the root vegetable family are versatile and delicious.

3) DROP OFF YOUR FOOD SCRAPS. Start small – keep a bag of all of your carrot tops and coffee grounds in your freezer and drop it off at a market once a week. Your trash will start to have no odor - honest! Plus, think of all that rich compost being made instead of helping our landfills grow. Locations and times.

4) CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSETS. Do your spring cleaning early and drop off all of your old textiles at one of 16 markets that collect year round. Locations and times.

5) JOIN A DINNER CLUB OR RECIPE EXCHANGE (or start your own!). Baby, it's cold outside. Warm up with friends and share dishes and recipes.

6) BECOME A WINTER WARRIOR. Stay devoted to Greenmarkets. The farmers that are there want to see you and most year round Greenmarkets (there are 22 of them!) have a frequent shopper program beginning in January where you can check in each week and get a fun market-y prize at the end of winter.

7) TRY A NEW INGREDIENT EVERY WEEK. Fresh horseradish, kohlrabi, celery root, creamed honey, purple potatoes - even in the winter, chances are pretty good that there are some ingredients at Greenmarkets that you've never tried. Take a closer peek and see what's there.

8) EAT AT A LOCAL RESTAURANT. For those nights you just don't feel like cooking (never, right?), there are many restaurants around NYC that purchase from Greenmarket and Greenmarket Co. all year long.

9) VISIT A MARKET YOU'VE NEVER BEEN TO BEFORE. Explore New York City's greatest asset - its communities! With 22 Greenmarkets open year round, you have many opportunities to visit markets in Inwood, Jackson Heights, Cortelyou/Ditmas Park, and many more neighborhoods. Greenmarket map and schedule.

10) BECOME A GREENMARKET VOLUNTEER. Greenmarket hosts volunteer orientations and provides opportunities (indoor and outdoor) year round.

11) CREATE A MEAL USING LOCAL GRAINS. Can you think of anything better than homemade bread made with local grains slathered in some fresh farm butter? We can't either.