This spring, GrowNYC's garden program has been busy doing what we do best: building new gardens! 

We've started work on 6 new community gardens in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, including four sites in close partnership with NYC Parks Green Thumb. 

Garden @ NYCHA's Melrose Houses and Bronxworks' Classics Center   
Melrose, Bronx
3,600 square feet

Eternal Life Community Garden
Morris Heights, Bronx
3,600 square feet

Georgia Avenue Community Garden
Brownsville/East New York, Brooklyn
1,961 square feet

Good Life Garden
Bushwick
13,500 square feet

Corona Taxpayers Association Garden
Corona, Queens
6,600 square feet

NYCHA Bay View Houses Garden #2
Far Rockaway, Queens
2,500 square feet

It’s happening!  Farmers market season is finally here, and this month we’re opening 15 seasonal GrowNYC Greenmarkets for our farmers to offer their bounty of delicious, local products throughout NYC.

Here’s the list of Greenmarkets opening in June.

• June 2       57th Street (Saturdays)
• June 3       Bensonhurst
• June 5       Bronx Borough Hall
• June 5       Elmhurst
• June 5       Ft. Washington
• June 5       Oculus/ World Trade
• June 6       Tribeca (Wednesdays)
• June 7       Water Street
• June 15     Fordham, Parkchester
• June 20     Mount Sinai Hospital
• June 24     92nd Street
• June 26     Poe Park
• June 28     175th St.
• June 29     Lincoln Hospital

Check out individual market webpages for information about upcoming activities such as guest chefs, kids programming, and book signings. Every market has free recipes and cooking demonstrations!

All GrowNYC Greenmarkets accept SNAP, and for every $5 a customer spends using SNAP, s/he receives one $2 Health Buck coupon to spend at the farmers market.

We’re on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. Follow us for up-to-date market news.

We are so thrilled for GrowNYCers Jessica Douglas, Rishma Lucknauth, and Jerome Nathaniel, who were recently named “rising stars” in New York City Food Policy by Hunter College. The list recognizes individuals “who are working to transform the food system.” Here’s a snippet from their profiles:

Jessica: “My real education in food policy began 11 years ago when I began working for Greenmarket as a Market Manager. I now oversee logistics and operations for all 51 Greenmarkets throughout the five boroughs.”

Rishma: “I’ve always wanted to be a fisherman, but my seasickness wouldn’t allow that dream to manifest. Instead, I support our local fishermen (and women) who brave the high seas to bring fresh seafood to Greenmarket every week—they’re better at it than I could ever be.”

Jerome: “I … gained professional experience in the food justice world when I worked for Foodlink in Rochester as their SNAP Outreach Coordinator. It was during those three years that my passion for food justice was solidified.”

Jessica, Rishma, and Jerome will be honored at an event taking place on June 7th, 2018.

Click here to read the full interviews, and check out the other honorees working to make NYC a healthier and more sustainable place!

We're proud to announce that our 2017 Annual Report is here! 

Highlights from 2017 include:

• We renovated more than 30 community gardens throughout the year, and built our 100th new garden!
• We launched Compost on the Go, 18 new food scrap collection sites conveniently located near mass transit in uptown Manhattan and the Bronx.
• We gave mini-grants of $500-2,000 to 78 schools to build or expand their school gardens, and hosted 12 giveaways of seeds, plants, and tools.
• FARMroots' Beginning Farmer Program helped start six new farm businesses, and graduated 21 participants from its Farm Beginnings training course.
• Recycling Champions engaged in waste reduction education and outreach at 97 schools, engaging 50,000 students and faculty at more than 2,000 events.

And there's so much more! Read the report to see all we've done in the past year, and make sure to share with friends!

Home Bakers Meet-up
Monday, February 24th 
Project Farmhouse, 76 East 13th Street (Manhattan)
Tickets $20

Break bread with GrowNYC Grains and your fellow home bakers! Bakers of all experience levels are welcome to swap samples with fellow grain geeks and share secrets on how to get a really crusty crust. Some of New York City's best professional bakers, including Austin Hall of She Wolf Bakery, Sharon Burns-Leader of Bread Alone Bakery, and Peter Endriss of Runner & Stone will also be on hand to talk tips and techniques.

Bring a loaf of your favorite home baked bread, made with locally-grown grains and flours, and copies of your recipe and/or starter to trade with others. 

Tickets include event entry and one drink.

Purchase grains and flours from the GrowNYC Grainstand at the Union Square Greenmarket on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and other locations listed here.

THANK YOU to our sponsors Meyers USA, Toast Ale, Mockmill, and Maine Grains.

All proceeds benefit the Greenmarket Regional Grains Project. 

You know who you are Winter Warriors -- it's 20 degrees outside and you're piling on the layers, getting Fido into his doggie-sweater, and grabbing the frozen compost -- all in preparation for your farmers market trip. We want to reward you for your Greenmarket love and loyalty with a chance to win two travel certificates, good for the base fare of two roundtrip JetBlue flights (excluding taxes/fees)!

Sweepstakes Rules: 

• Visit any one of the 24 Year-Round Greenmarket Farmers Markets during open market hours between February 15 – 28, 2018
   
• Take a photo and post it to your Instagram account with the hashtag #GMKTWinterWarrior and #contest. Limit one entry per Instagram account per day.
   
• Photos can be selfies, or they can be shots of vegetables, farmers (with their permission), any kind of wintry Greenmarket cheer. As long as the photo is taken inside any one of the 24 Year-Round Greenmarket Farmers Markets during open market hours and posted to Instagram with the hashtag #GMTKWinterWarrior, it is a chance to win!  
   
• On March 1st  2018, GrowNYC will pick one lucky winner to receive two travel certificates, good for the base fare of two roundtrip JetBlue flights (excluding taxes/fees)! These vouchers must be used by June 15, 2018. It’s a fast turnaround, but there’s enough time to get somewhere warm.
   
• GrowNYC and Greenmarket staff, volunteers, farm staff, or farmers, or family members are not eligible to win.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the U.S., DC & PR, 18 years and older. Contest ends at 11:59:59 PM ET on 2/28/18. Void where prohibited. See Official Rules for details.

Holiday gift shopping for the Greenmarket lover is made easy with this list of popular holiday gifts from Greenmarket producers. Please note, not all of these items are sold at every market location so check the producer line-up to see what products are available at your local Greenmarket.

NON-FOOD ITEMS
Greenmarket Merch: Tote bags, reusable produce bags, baby bibs, tea towels, bamboo spatulas, Short Stack cookbooks, note cards, and mugs at Union Square Greenmarket Merch Tent  
Greenmarket Tokens: Wooden tokens can be purchased in $5 increments at the information tent at any Greenmarket using a credit or debit card. Tokens can be used like money at most vendors. Out of town but want to purchase tokens for family and friends living in New York? Call our office at 212.788.7900 and ask about purchasing tokens. 
The New Greenmarket Cookbook: Available for sale at Union Square Greenmarket and various other markets, as well as on www.grownyc.org/cookbook.
Greenmarket Producer Cookbooks: The Fishermen's Wife by Stephanie Villani; The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook; Bread Alone Cookbook
Soaps 
Sachets, Salves, Lip Balms, Lotions, and Body Oils
Yarn, Hats, Scarves from Catskill Merino and Rosehaven Alpaca
Herbal Tinctures, Teas, and Tisanes from Violet Hill Farm, Furnace Creek Farm, White Pine Community Farm, Tweefontein Herb Farm 
Wreaths
Decorative Garlic Braids from Keith’s Farm
Poinsettias, Paper Whites, and Orchids
Succulent & Cactus plants

FOOD GIFTS
Jams and Preserves
Hard Cider
Beer and Spirits from GrowNYC's Craft Beverage Pop-up
Honey 
Wine
Jerky and "Meat Lovers" Cured Meat Pack from Lowland Farm
Cookies, Pies and Baked Goods
Maple Syrup, Maple Cotton Candy & Maple Candies
Popcorn from Wildraft Farm and Oak Grove Plantation
The Bronx Hot Sauce Gift Box from GrowNYC
Chicken Liver Bourbon Pâté from Yellow Bell Farms 
Soppressata and Cured Chorizo from Flying Pigs Farm
Duck Salami and Prosciutto from Hudson Valley Duck Farm
Egg Nog from Ronnybrook Farm and Ole Mother Hubbert 
Gluten Free Babka from Las Delicias
Spirits: Gin, Corn Whiskey, Vodka, Unaged Single Malt Whiskey from Orange County Distillery, 1857 Spirits and Hickory Ledges
Bison Jerky from Roaming Acres
Beer from From the Ground Brewery, including Pale Ale, Stout and Red Ale
Bitters from Violet Hill Farm
Dried & Smoked Chiles from Eckerton Hill and Oak Grove Plantation 

Your locally grown Christmas trees, wreaths, and boughs will stay fresher longer and smell amazing. A list of markets where you can stock up on holiday greens follows:

Durr Wholesale: Wreaths (Union Square Saturday) 
Fiori Di Fenice: Wreaths (Union Square Saturday) 
Hurds Family Farm: Trees (Grand Army Plaza Saturday)
Keith's Farm: Organic trees and wreaths (Union Square Wednesday and Saturday)
Lebak Farms: Wreaths (Grand Army Plaza Saturday)
Mountain Sweet Berry Farm: Wreaths, garland, and princess pines (Union Square Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday)
Rexcroft Farm: Wreaths (Dag Hammarskjold, Wednesday; Fort Greene Saturday) 
River Garden: Dried flower wreaths (Union Square Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday)
Stokes Farm: Herb wreaths (Tucker Square Thursday and Saturday; Union Square Saturday)
Van Houten Farms: Trees and wreaths (Union Square Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday)
Wilklow Orchards: Trees (Ft. Greene Saturday)

Earlier this month, GrowNYC held the second in our Chef Seasonal Dinner Series.

It was magnificent!

Five leading chefs from some of NYC’s most prominent restaurants donated their time and incredible culinary skills to create an unforgettable meal.

The theme of the dinner was International Harvest. Chef Ron Roselli of Bowery Road kicked things off with passed hors d’oeurves, including Fried Mushroom with a Citrus Aioli and Calabrian Chili, as well as Sicilian Cauliflower with Pine Nuts and a Chili Garlic Vinaigrette, which were followed by Sacco Chicken Stew with Bitter Orange and Dominican Root Vegetables prepared by Chef Charles Rodriguez of Print.  The second course, prepared by Iceland native Chef Gunnar Gíslason of Agern, consisted of Honeynut Squash with Sea Buckthorn, Honey and Brown Butter.  Next was Octopus with Salsa Veracruzana and Blue Eye Potatoes created by Chef Daniela Soto-Innes of Cosme, inspired by the cooking of Chef Sotto-Innes’s home country, Mexico.  And finally, for dessert, Chef Miro Uskokovic from Gramercy Tavern reimagined an Apple “Lazy” Pie with Baklava Ice Cream and Cranberry from his childhood in Serbia. And because two desserts are better than one, he made Serbian-inspired Truffles with Slivovitz and Cacao Prieto.

Magnificent. (It must be said again.)

This year marks the 18^th anniversary of GrowNYC's New Farmer Development Program which provides assistance and opportunity for immigrants with backgrounds in agriculture looking to continue a career in farming in the Northeast. To celebrate, participants of that program, Sergio and Paz Nolasco of Nolasco Farms, gave a short speech about what Greenmarket means to their business.  

All the proceeds from the event allow Greenmarket to use Project Farmhouse throughout the year as an educational space for youth programming, panel discussions, film screenings, and networking events focused on a just and sustainable local food system.  We’re deeply grateful to all of the participating chefs, as well as Bread Alone, Breuckelen Distilling, Brooklyn Brewery, Great Performances, Lauber Imports, Library of Distilled Spirits, Omni New York LLC, and Union Square Wines for their help and support for our International Harvest Dinner. Photography by Vitaliy Piltser.

Looking forward to the next one!