Hello New Yorkers – We need your voice. Sign our petition. Urge the Mayor to halt the elimination of community compost programs!

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Our Letter

Dear Mayor Adams and Commissioner Tisch,

I am a concerned citizen who wants to live in a sustainable New York City and I understand that community composting has been cut.

The New York City Compost Project and GrowNYC serve millions of New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs, providing food scrap collections, organics processing, composting outreach and community education. I petition you today to save these programs in light of announced budget cuts.

Community composting organizations, including GrowNYC, Big Reuse, LES Ecology Center, Earth Matter NY, New York Botanical Garden, Queens Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden collectively:

• Divert more than 8.3 million pounds of organic waste from landfills each year.

• Produce and distribute hundreds of thousands of pounds of compost to over 325 community groups, parks, 85 street tree care events, and thousands of individuals each year. 

• Engage over 1,000 yearly participants in Master Composter activities through food, farming, and composting opportunities across the city.

• Provide compost outreach and education to over 600,000 New Yorkers annually, making them aware of food waste's contributions to the climate crisis while providing the opportunity to address this critical issue.

• Operate 6 community composting sites - providing the most sustainable and equitable form of organics waste management.

Cutting community composting and outreach programs will result in the elimination of these invaluable services and the loss of over 115 green jobs. 

Community composting programs transform New Yorkers' waste into valuable resources, providing essential soil for our parks, gardens, and playgrounds. These programs serve as a crucial tool in combating climate change. Furthermore, given the anticipated delays in the expansion of the Curbside Composting program, the success of such an initiative in New York City hinges on a robust outreach and community composting network to educate and engage residents.

I urge the Mayor and City Council to halt these massive cuts and to guarantee full funding to these programs for the future. These cost-effective programs contribute to a more liveable city with fewer rats, cleaner streets, and healthier soils, while cutting waste destined for landfills or incinerators.

Thanksgiving 2023 is right around the corner and markets are abundant with all of the ingredients you need for a delicious meal. We will have some schedule changes to accommodate shopping schedules, see below.

*Market days with an asterisk mean it's a special market, rescheduled to Tuesday or Wednesday, normally held on a Thursday or Friday, so that customers have an opportunity to shop for Thanksgiving ingredients. 

And don't forget the turkey!

Food scrap and clothing collections are the same for regularly scheduled markets, there is NO food scrap or clothing collections on rescheduled market days (those with an asterisk) other than Union Square Tuesday.

Monday, 11/20:
Union Square, MHTN, open 8am-6pm 

Tuesday, 11/21: 
All regularly scheduled Compost sites are open.
Astor Place Greenmarket, MHTN, open 8am-5pm Last day for the season
Bowling Green Greenmarket, MHTN, open 8am-2pm 
Brooklyn Borough Hall Greenmarket, BK, open 8am-3pm  
Bronx Borough Hall Greenmarket, BX, open 8am-4pm Last day for the season
*Columbia University Greenmarket, MHTN, open 8am-4pm 
Elmhurst Hospital Greenmarket, QNS, open 8am-3pm Last day for the season
Fort Washington Greenmarket, MHTN, open 8am-4pm Last day for the season
Lincoln Hospital Greenmarket, BX, open 8am-3pm Last day for the season
Poe Park Greenmarket, BX, open 8am-3pm Last day for the season
*Union Sq Greenmarket (Friday producers), MHTN, open 8am-6pm (LESEC will be collecting food scraps)

Wednesday 11/22:  
All regularly scheduled Compost sites are open.
57th Street Greenmarket, MHTN, open 8am-4pm Last day for the season
*97th Street Greenmarket, MHTN, open 8am-2pm (NO FOOD SCRAP COLLECTION)
Bartel-Pritchard Greenmarket, BK, open 8am-2pm 
*Bowling Green Greenmarket, MHTN, open 8am-2pm Last day for the season
Dag Hammarskjold Plaza Greenmarket, MHTN, open 8am-3pm 
Eastchester Farmstand, BX, open 8am-1pm Last day for the season
Flushing Greenmarket, QNS, open 8am-3pm 
Morris Heights Farmstand, BX, open 10am-2pm
Morrisania Farmstand, BX, open 9am-2:30pm 
Mount Sinai Greenmarket, MHTN, open 8am-3pm Last day for the season 
*Parkchester Greenmarket, BX, open 8am-3pm Last day for the season (NO FOOD SCRAP COLLECTION)
Tribeca Greenmarket, MHTN, open 8am-3pm Last day for the season (Wednesdays only, open year-round on Saturdays)
*Tucker Square Greenmarket, MHTN, open 8am-3pm (NO FOOD SCRAP COLLECTION)
Union Square Greenmarket, MHTN, open 8am-6pm 
Upper Grand Central Farmstand, MHTN, open 1:30pm-7pm
Woodhull Farmstand, BK, open 9am-2pm 

Thursday 11/23 & Friday 11/24:
All Greenmarkets and Farmstand locations closed. No clothing or food scrap collections.
**The Union Square Friday Greenmarket is closed, but Lower East Side Ecology Center will be collecting food scraps at Park and 17th Street. 

Saturday 11/25 & Sunday 11/26
Regular Greenmarket schedule Please check individual market webpages for farmer attendance.
All Food Scrap Collection sites OPEN
All Farmstand sites CLOSED 

 

 

Thanksgiving 2023 is just around the corner—November 23rd, to be exact—and turkey orders are already filling fast! Find out below what local farms are bringing pasture-raised Thanksgiving turkeys to your neighborhood Greenmarket.

You can also find the freshest side dish ingredients such as Brussels sprouts, carrots, fennel, winter squash, potatoes, apples, pears, herbs, honey, maple syrup, pre-made pies, butter, and cream. In addition to those items, don't forget we have spirits and hard cider made from 100% locally-grown ingredients. As well as pickles and condiments for your leftover turkey sandwiches, and much more. 

Abundance Acres Farm
Breed: Pasture-raised Sonoma Valley Classics
Where and how to order: Sunnyside Greenmarket Saturdays, Cortelyou Greenmarket Sundays, Jackson Heights Greenmarket Sundays or contact info@abundanceacresfarm.com
Where and when to pick up: Sunnyside Greenmarket on Saturday 11/18, Cortelyou Greenmarket 11/19, or Jackson Heights Greenmarket 11/19
abundanceacresfarm.com

Dipaola Turkey
Breed: Broad Breasted White (parts and sausage also available)
Where to order: Online at www.dipaolaturkeyfarm.com/thanks-giving/ 
Where to pick up: 

79th Street Sunday, 11/19 97th Street Friday, 11/22 † Brooklyn Borough Hall Saturday, 11/18 Carroll Gardens Sunday, 11/19 Columbia Sunday, 11/19 Cortelyou Sunday, 11/19 Forest Hills, 11/19 Fort Greene Saturday, 11/18

Grand Army Plaza Saturday, 11/18  Greenpoint Saturday, 11/18 Inwood Saturday, 11/18 Jackson Heights Sunday, 11/19 Tribeca Saturday, 11/18 Union Square Wednesday, 11/22

† Market open Wednesday before Thanksgiving for pick-ups.

Fiesty Acres Farm
Breeds: Broad Breasted Bronze
Also available -- whole roasting chickens and quail
Where and how to order: Limited availability of turkeys available for purchase at Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket 11/18
Where and when to pick up: Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket on Saturday 11/18
feistyacres.com

Ox Hollow Farm
Breeds: Mini Classic Turkeys
Where and how to order: Union Square Greenmarket Mondays, Inwood Greenmarket Saturdays, 79th Street Greenmarket Sundays, or Stuyvesant Town Greenmarket Sundays
Where and when to pick up: Union Square Greenmarket on Monday 11/20, Inwood Greenmarket Saturday 11/18, 79th Street Greenmarket Sunday 11/19, or Stuyvesant Town Greenmarket Sunday 11/19
www.oxhollowfarm.com

Ramble Creek Farm
Breeds: Broad Breasted White 
Where and how to order: Union Square Greenmarket Fridays; 97th Street Greenmarket Fridays, or call to order at 518-769-0897 or order online at www.ramblecreekfarm.com  
Where and when to pick up: Union Square Greenmarket on Tuesday 11/21 or 97th Street Greenmarket Wednesday 11/22
ramblecreekfarm.com

Quattros Game Farm
Breeds: New Holland White
Where and how to order: Union Square Greenmarket Saturdays, or call the farm store at 845.635.2018
Where and when to pick up: Union Square Greenmarket on Saturday 11/18 or Wednesday 11/22
facebook.com/QuattrosFarm/

Stone & Thistle Farm
Breeds: Broad Breasted White and Broad Breasted Bronze
Where and how to order: Brooklyn Borough Hall Greenmarket Saturdays, Tompkins Square Greenmarket Sundays or Forest Hills Greenmarket Sundays. $20 deposit / $6.50 lb.
Where and when to pick up: Brooklyn Borough Hall Greenmarket 11/18, Tompkins Square Greenmarket 11/19 or Forest Hills Greenmarket 11/19
www.stoneandthistlefarm.com

Violet Hill Farm
Breed: Broad Breasted White
Where and how to order: Union Square Greenmarket Saturdays, McCarren Park/Greenpoint Saturdays or order online at www.violethillfarm.com 
Where and when to pick up: Union Square Greenmarket or McCarren Park/Greenpoint Greenmarket on Saturday 11/18, or Union Square Greenmarket Wednesday 11/22
www.violethillfarm.com 

Greenmarket is partnering with City Harvest, Food Bank of New York City, and other local food rescue organizations to help feed New York City's hungry residents this Thanksgiving. 

At the markets listed below, buy an extra bag of fresh produce while you shop and donate it at the Market Information tent. 

Wednesday, November 8
City Harvest
Union Square Greenmarket

Saturday, November 11
City Harvest
Grand Army Plaza

Sunday, November 12
City Harvest
77th Street Greenmarket

Monday, November 13
Food Bank of New York City
Union Square Greenmarket

Tuesday, November 14
Child Development Support Corporation
Brooklyn Borough Hall Greenmarket

Celebrate New York Cider at Union Square Greenmarket Cider Village! 

Union Square Greenmarket Cider Village 
Union Square West & 15th Street     
Friday, October 27, 2023
10AM-5PM

Now four years in the running, this year's annual Cider Village event is sure to impress! For one day only, cidermakers from across New York will join our market line-up on Friday, October 27 from 10am-5pm to peddle their fruity and funky libations.

Along the way, you’ll meet (and taste!) some rare apples varieties from the Hudson Valley Apple Project and get to see in real time how apples get mashed and pressed for cider. Big bonus: Kitchen Arts and Letters (@kalnyc) will be on the scene from 11AM-1PM with William Mullan (@pomme_william) and his book, Odd Apples! The book is a visual masterpiece documenting the wide, weird, and wonderful world of apples. If you haven’t had a chance to get your copy, now is the time!

So grab a friend, a lover, a family member and come on down to the Cider Village! Pick up a bottle you’ve never tried before, grab another bottle for a holiday gift, and learn something new!

This year's cidery line-up includes:

🍎 Metal House Cider @metalhousecider
🍎 East Hollow Cider @easthollowcider
🍎 NY Cider Co @nyciderco
🍎 Nine Pin Cider @ninepincider
🍎 Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider @hudsonvalleyfarmhousecider
🍎 Original Sin Cider @originalsincider

It's farmers market season in New York City!

GrowNYC Greenmarkets 
GrowNYC's year-round Greenmarket farmers markets are growing as farmers bring additional delicious fruits and vegetables to market every day, and our seasonal Greenmarkets have begun opening. New Yorkers (and visitors!) can find a bounty of fresh, local products at Greenmarkets throughout the city. 

Check out individual market webpages for daily farmer attendance and information about upcoming activities such as cooking demonstrations and family-friendly programming.

GrowNYC Farmstands
GrowNYC Farmstands are part of a network of food access retail sites operated by GrowNYC, along with Greenmarkets and Fresh Food Box sites. Through Farmstands, GrowNYC sells fresh, affordable food in underserved and under resourced neighborhoods across NYC. The food sold at Farmstands is grown by farmers in the Northeast and transparently sourced through GrowNYC Wholesale. This vital food access program also offers important job opportunities for New Yorkers, ensures healthy, fresh food access across the city, and provides vital revenue for family farms in the Northeast.

All GrowNYC Greenmarkets and Farmstands accept SNAP/EBT, Debit/Credit, Healthfirst OTC cards (LIP and CC members only), WIC & Senior FMNP coupons, and Greenmarket Bucks accepted.
Spend $2 in SNAP/EBT/P-EBT, get bonus $2 Health Buck, up to $10 per day.

GrowNYC Fresh Food Box 
GrowNYC Fresh Food Box sites are also part of a network of food access retail sites operated by GrowNYC. Through Fresh Food Box, customers pay one week in advance for a pre-assembled box of healthy, fresh fruits and vegetables grown primarily by regional farmers and sourced through GrowNYC Wholesale. The program allows customers to take advantage of the cost benefit of buying in a group and enjoy the flexibility of a weekly commitment while supporting farmers. All Fresh Food Box sites currently operate year-round. 

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

OPENING DATE	SEASONAL GREENMARKETS & FARMSTANDS
May 6	Bay Ridge Greenmarket Saturdays
May 7	Bartel-Pritchard Square Greenmarket Sundays (also open on Wednesdays)
May 14	Stuyvesant Town Greenmarket Sundays
May 28	Bensonhurst Greenmarket Sundays
June 3	57th Street Greenmarket Saturdays
June 4	Domino Park Greenmarket Sundays
June 6	Astor Place Greenmarket Tuesdays
June 6	Fort Washington Greenmarket Tuesdays
June 6	Bronx Borough Hall Greenmarket Tuesdays
June 6	Greenmarket at the Oculus Tuesdays
June 10	Staten Island Mall Greenmarket Saturdays
June 13	Elmhurst Greenmarket Tuesdays
June 14	Mount Sinai Hospital Greenmarket Wednesdays
June 16	Parkchester Greenmarket Fridays
June 16	Corona Greenmarket Fridays
June 18	94th Street Greenmarket Sundays
July 20	PS 57 Farmstand Thursdays
June 23	Lincoln Hospital Greenmarket Fridays (open Tuesdays June 27)
June 28	Eastchester Farmstand Saturdays
June 27	Poe Park Greenmarket Tuesdays
June 29	175th St Greenmarket Thursdays
June 29	Lower East Side Farmstand Thursdays
July 1	4th Avenue Sunset Park Greenmarket Saturdays
July 1	Forest Park Farmstand Saturdays
July 8	Ridgewood Farmstand Saturdays
July 5	Flushing Greenmarket Wednesdays
July 5	Morrisania Farmstand Wednesdays
July 5	Woodhull Hospital Farmstand Wednesdays
July 6	Myrtle-Wyckoff Plaza Greenmarket Thursdays
July 6	Boro Park Greenmarket Thursdays
July 6	NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur Health Farmstand Thursdays
July 7	Cypress Hills Farmstand Fridays
July 15	Brownsville Pitkin Farmstand Saturdays

The GrowNYC Compost Program is typically focused on collecting residential food scraps, but this Spring, we’re also giving away free compost made from the food scraps we’ve collected in the last year and processed by our partners! 

This is our annual act of reciprocity: we're closing the loop and giving thanks to the thousands of New Yorkers who have saved their food scraps from landfills by bringing them to our Food Scrap Drop-off sites. Small, 2-pound bags of ready-to-use compost will be available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last!

Compost Made in NYC

The compost for this Giveback is provided by two New York City Compost Project host sites: Queens Botanical Garden and Earth Matter NY. If you’ve dropped off food scraps at one of GrowNYC’s Food Scrap Drop-off (FSDO) sites, then the bag of compost you’ll receive may contain nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from your very own peels and pits. That’s what we mean when we say “closed loop.”

Compost Giveback Schedule

Quantities are limited and based on average weekly participation at each drop-off site, so consider coming early to make sure you get a bag. Our 2023 Spring/Summer givebacks are finished, past givebacks events are listed at the bottom of this page. 

How to Use Compost

You don’t need to have a backyard or garden to have a use for compost. Indoor plants benefit from an annual application of compost, and we all have access to street trees that can use some love. We recommend mixing your compost into soil at a ratio of at least 3 parts soil to 1 part compost for best results.

• For outdoor plants: Rake, sprinkle, or mix the compost into the soil of garden or tree beds.

• For indoor plants: Gently mix an inch of compost into the top layer of potting soil, or blend with potting soil when repotting.

Compost is not shelf-stable and will not store well. Please use your compost within a week or two of receiving it.

Our small Compost Giveback bags are also compostable! Please remove the tin tie and sticker before bringing the empty bag back to a GrowNYC Food Scrap Drop-off site for composting.

What is compost, anyway?

During Compost Giveback events, there’s often some confusion about what we’re giving away and why. Here are a few definitions to know:

• Food Scraps (noun) – the uneaten foods or parts of food. Calling these items scraps, rather than waste, highlights their value and potential for beneficial use, including human and animal consumption of rescued edible foods, composting, and anaerobic digestion.

• Composting (verb) - the process of aerobic, biological decomposition that transforms organic materials like food scraps and fallen leaves into compost.

• Compost (noun) – a soil amendment that resembles dark, crumbly topsoil, has a pleasant earthy smell, and has no resemblance to the original organic materials from which it is made. Compost refers to the finished product of the composting process, and is not to be confused with food scraps, which are just one ingredient in the composting process.

• Soil (noun) – the upper layer of earth in which plants grow. Healthy soil consists of 45% minerals, 25% water, 25% air, and 5% organic matter. Soil is not to be confused with compost, which is a soil amendment that adds organic matter and beneficial microbes to soil.

When you drop off your food scraps with GrowNYC, we bring them to composting facilities, where they’re mixed with carbon-rich materials like leaves and wood chips, and transformed into compost. The finished compost can be used to improve soil quality for houseplants, gardens, and street trees alike.

Additional Resources

• How to Use Compost Tip Sheet from NYC Compost Project

• See the New York City Street Tree Map for tips on how to care for urban trees.

• For information about getting compost in larger quantities, visit nyc.gov/getcompost. 

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The compost giveback is made possible by funding from the NYC Department of Sanitation.

Past Giveback Events 

Thursday May 4th

• Kew Gardens FSDO (flyer)

Friday May 5th 

• College Point FSDO (flyer)

• Corona FSDO (flyer)

Saturday May 6th

• Ridgewood FSDO (flyer)

• Sunnyside Greenmarket (flyer)

Sunday May 7th

• Terraza 7 FSDO (flyer)

• Forest Hills Greenmarket (flyer)

• Jackson Heights Greenmarket (flyer)

Wednesday May 17th

• 58th Street Library FSDO (flyer)

• Madison Square Park FSDO (flyer)

• Dag Hammarskjold Plaza Greenmarket (flyer)

Thursday May 18th

• 181st Street FSDO  (flyer)

• Community Access FSDO (flyer)

• 145th Street FSDO (flyer)

• Tucker Square Greenmarket (flyer)

• Wilson Ave FSDO (flyer)

Friday May 19th

• 97th Street Greenmarket (flyer)

• E 96th Street FSDO (flyer)

• St. Mary’s Harlem FSDO (flyer)

Saturday May 20th

• Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket (flyer)

• Brooklyn Borough Hall Greenmarket (flyer)

• McCarren Park Greenmarket (flyer)

Wednesday May 24th

• Mott Haven FSDO (flyer)

• Morrisania FSDO (flyer)

Thursday May 25th

• Crown Heights Franklin Ave FSDO (flyer)

• Prospect Heights FSDO  (flyer)

• Norwood Farmstand (flyer)

• BronxWorks FSDO (flyer)

Friday May 26th

• New Roots Community Farm FSDO (flyer)

• Fordham Plaza FSDO (flyer)

• Montefiore FSDO (flyer)

• Parkchester FSDO (flyer)

Saturday May 27th

• Kensington FSDO (flyer)

• 7th Ave Sunset Park Greenmarket (flyer)

• Bay Ridge FSDO (flyer)

• Abyssinian Tot Lot FSDO (flyer)

• Inwood Greenmarket (flyer)

• Abingdon Square Greenmarket (flyer)

• Tribeca Greenmarket (flyer)

Sunday May 28th​

• 79th Street Greenmarket (flyer)

Wednesday May 31

• Rockaway Parkway FSDO (flyer)

• Little Haiti FSDO (flyer)

• Leif Ericson Park FSDO (flyer)

Friday June 2nd

• Cypress Hills FSDO (flyer)

• Crown Heights Farmstand (flyer)

• Flatbush Function FSDO (flyer)

Saturday June 3rd

• Ft. Greene Greenmarket (flyer)

• Bed-Stuy Fresh Food Box (flyer)

Sunday, June 4th

• Asphalt Green FSDO (flyer)

• Bensonhurst FSDO (flyer)

• Carroll Gardens Greenmarket (flyer)

• Columbia University Greenmarket (flyer)

• Cortelyou Greenmarket (flyer)

Wednesday, June 14th

• Newkirk Ave - Little Haiti Food Scrap Drop-off

Friday, June 16th

• Cypress Hills Food Scrap Drop-off

Sunday, June 18th

• Bensonhurst Greenmarket 

GrowNYC is happy to announce our Winter 2023 Training Series!

This free training is available to nonprofit organizations and community groups interested in operating a food box or farm stand in their neighborhoods. Organizations are invited to join us for an informational session on Tuesday, Jan 10th from 4-6 PM. This overview will help organizations determine which model is the right fit for them. We will provide general FreshConnect background, details about ordering produce through GrowNYC Wholesale, and highlight the differences between a farm stand and a food box. The info session is not required, but if you're still deciding if you'd like to run a farm stand or a food box, this will help you understand the differences and make your decision.

January 10, 4-6PM, Information Session
Register for our first information session here.

All training sessions are remote via Zoom.

Jan 24, 4-6 PM, Farm Stand Training
Jan 26, 4-6 PM, Fresh Food Box Training 

 

Greenmarkets where you can stock up on holiday greens:

A'moon Farm: Wreaths, Bouquets, Garlands, Princess Pines, White Pines, Cedar Pines, Mountain Laurels, Boxwood, Juniper, and Rosehips (Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Fridays)
Downhome Acres: Wreaths (77th Street Greenmarket Sundays, Columbia University Greenmarket Sundays)
Durr Wholesale: Wreaths (Union Square Greenmarket Saturdays) 
Fantastic Gardens: Potted evergreens, poinsettias, amaryllis (Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays, Fridays & Saturdays)
Green Life Farm: Wreaths (77th Street Greenmarket Sundays)
Lebak Farms: Wreaths and boughs (Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket Saturdays)
Luna Family Farm: Wreaths and bouquets (Columbia University Greenmarket Thursdays; Stuyvesant Town Greenmarket Sundays; Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays & Saturdays)
Mountain Sweet Berry Farm: Wreaths, garland, and princess pines (77th Street Greenmarket Sundays; Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays)
Newgate Farms: Wreaths (Cortelyou Greenmarket Sundays, Columiba Greenmarket Thursdays)
Pe-tal Plants: Potted evergreens, poinsettias, and amaryllis (Union Square Greenmarket Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays & Saturdays)
Phillips Farm: Eucalyptus Wreaths (Union Square Saturdays, Grand Army Plaza Saturdays)
Rexcroft Farm: Wreaths (Fort Greene Greenmarket Saturdays) 
River Garden: Dried flower wreaths (Union Square Greenmarket Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays)
Stokes Farm: Herb wreaths (Tucker Square Greenmarket Thursdays and Saturdays; Union Square Greenmarket Saturdays)
Van Houten Farms: Trees and wreaths (Union Square Greenmarket Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays)
Walnut Hill Farm: Wreaths and dried flowers (77th Street Greenmarket Sundays, Carroll Gardens Greenmarket Sundays, Fort Greene Greenmarket Saturdays, Grand Army Plaza Greenmarkets Saturdays, Inwood Greenmarket Saturdays, McCarren Park Greenmarket Saturdays, Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays)