Greenmarket Shoppers - We want to hear from YOU!

November 1, 2024
Posted in Greenmarket

🌟 GrowNYC Greenmarket Customers, We Want to Hear from You! 🌟

Help us improve your market experience by sharing your thoughts in our customer survey. Your feedback and experience matters to us!

Greenmarket Survey

As a thank you, anyone who completes the survey in full will be entered to win a raffle prize of $20 in Greenmarket Bucks, which can be used freely at any Greenmarket. 

Take a few moments to fill it out—your voice makes a difference!

Deadline: Friday, November 29

 

 

Fall Events at the Union Square Greenmarket

August 12, 2024
Posted in Greenmarket

Experience the vibrant flavors and festive spirit of fall at the Union Square Greenmarket! This season, immerse yourself in a bounty of fresh, locally-grown produce that’s perfect for your autumn recipes. But that’s not all—join us for a series of exciting special events that celebrate the best of the season, from weekly book signings with famous chefs and authors to celebrations of regional fiber, cider, and fermentation. 
 

Union Square Greenmarket Cider Village
Friday, October 11 | 10 AM to 5 PM
Union Square Greenmarket (South Entrance)
Join us for the 4th Annual Union Square Greenmarket Cider Village.

  • Meet cideries from across New York State, sample their hard ciders, and learn about the techniques that go into perfecting each bottle.
  • Check out the Hudson Valley Apple Project's apple varietal display with over 55 rare, unique, and historical apples.
  • Apple pressing! Apple cider demos! Apple crafts! And more!
     

Union Square Greenmarket Fermentation Fest
Friday, October 18 | 10 AM to 5 PM
Union Square Greenmarket (South Entrance)

Come explore the wide, wonderful, and fantastic world of fermentation at the Union Square Greenmarket’s inaugural Fermentation Fest! The festival brings together Greenmarket farmers, chefs, scientists, and artists who all harness the ancient art of fermentation in their work. Learn the ins and outs of fermentation through demos and tastings from chefs who shop at the market, purchase ready-made fermented products from our farmers who utilize fermentation to preserve their harvests, and peruse a pop-up fermentation bookshop, hosted by Greenpoint book store Archestratus, for all the inspiration and recipes you need to make your own ferments at home, and more!
 

Union Square Greenmarket Book Signings
Full schedule here
 

PAST EVENTS

FLOCK: A Celebration of Regional Fiber
GrowNYC + New York Fibershed

Friday, September 13 | 10 AM to 5 PM
Union Square Greenmarket (South Entrance)

Join GrowNYC’s Union Square Greenmarket, the New York Fibershed, and local fiber producers to celebrate regional, regenerative textile production that’s happening right here in NY! There will be locally sourced and produced textile products, fibers and yarns available at the market as well as interactive demonstrations by local artisans. 

  • Meet the New York farmers and producers working hard to make sustainable products.
  • Engage in the process of transforming fibers from raw fleece to finished woven fabric.
  • Learn how you can integrate local fiber into your life while helping to build community.
  • ​Support NY textile artisans 

New York Fibershed unites urban and rural land stewards who are engaged in cultivating fiber and natural dyes to the citizens who call this city their home. Our goal is to build a welcoming and accessible network that fosters community and craftsmanship at the local level. Our Fibershed strives to create a more resilient, equitable and sustainable future while engaging in advocacy, learning, and collaborative opportunities.

The New York Textile Lab and the Carbon Farm Network are both central projects and partners of the New York Fibershed. The land, farmers, processors, and designers behind this initiative are committed to creating a "‘Soil-to-Soil’ textile system.

Learn more at newyorkfibershed.org and newyorktextilelab.com

Spend your Summer EBT at GrowNYC Greenmarket and Farmstand locations!

July 17, 2024
Posted in Greenmarket

Spend your Summer EBT at GrowNYC Greenmarket and Farmstand locations! 🍅🍉

Beginning in July 2024, New York State (NYS) will launch Summer EBT, a new program that provides low-income families with food benefits to help buy groceries during the summer when school children might not have access to school meals.

Can you use your Summer EBT benefits at GrowNYC Greenmarkets or Farmstand locations?

YES! Summer EBT benefits can be used just like SNAP benefits to buy food at grocery stores, farmers markets, and other SNAP-authorized retailers. Eligible families can use  Summer EBT at their neighborhood GrowNYC Greenmarket and Farmstand locations. What’s more, you can double your money! Spend $2 in SNAP-EBT and Summer EBT, get a bonus $2 Health Buck to spend on fruits and vegetables, up to $10 per day.

Who is eligible to receive this benefit? 

Families currently receiving SNAP will automatically be enrolled in the Summer EBT program. The majority of recipients will be auto-enrolled based on their SNAP and free meal eligibility. For families not auto-enrolled but with qualifying children, a letter with instructions on how to receive benefits will be sent directly to them.

What if you do not receive a letter but think your child/student qualifies?

Some students who are not automatically eligible may be able to receive Summer EBT food benefits by completing an application. Please note that in order to be eligible to apply through this application, the student must attend a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), AND the household's income must be at or below the limits for eligibility for free/reduced-price school meals.

Families will only need to complete one application for all students in the household, which a parent or guardian should complete. 

How much of the benefit will be distributed? 

In 2024, each eligible child will receive $120 in Summer EBT food benefits over a three-month period. There is a 122-day window to utilize all Summer EBT benefits. All unused benefits are removed from the card after this time. Be sure to use your benefits as soon as possible after you receive them.

Where will the benefit be sent to? 

All Summer EBT funds will be put onto the previously issued Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) card unless a new card is requested through the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance website. You can request a new card through the OTDA website, which is also the place to go if you need to replace a lost or stolen card. Families that have not previously received P-EBT can also request newly issued cards through this site.

When will I receive my Summer EBT?

The first of the Summer EBT food benefits are expected to be issued beginning in mid-July 2024 and will continue through October 2024.

For more information, including determining eligibility or requesting a replacement P-EBT card, visit otda.ny.gov/programs/summer-ebt/

_______________________

¡Gasta tu EBT de verano en las tiendas GrowNYC Greenmarket y Farmstand! 🍅🍉

A partir de julio de 2024, el Estado de Nueva York (NYS) lanzará Summer EBT, un nuevo programa que proporciona a las familias de bajos ingresos beneficios alimentarios para ayudar a comprar comestibles durante el verano, cuando los niños en edad escolar podrían no tener acceso a las comidas escolares.

¿Puede utilizar sus beneficios de EBT de verano en GrowNYC Greenmarkets o Farmstand?

¡SÍ! Los beneficios EBT de verano se pueden utilizar igual que los beneficios SNAP para comprar alimentos en tiendas de comestibles, mercados de agricultores y otros minoristas autorizados por SNAP. Las familias elegibles pueden usar la EBT de verano en los mercados GrowNYC Greenmarket y Farmstand de su vecindario. Además, ¡puede duplicar su dinero! Si gasta $2 en SNAP-EBT y EBT de verano, obtendrá un Billete Saludable adicional de $2 para gastar en frutas y verduras, hasta $10 por día.

¿Quién puede recibir esta prestación?

Las familias que actualmente reciben SNAP se inscribirán automáticamente en el programa EBT de verano. La mayoría de los beneficiarios se inscribirán automáticamente en función de su elegibilidad para SNAP y comidas gratuitas. A las familias que no estén inscritas automáticamente pero que tengan hijos que reúnan los requisitos, se les enviará directamente una carta con instrucciones sobre cómo recibir los beneficios.

¿Qué pasa si usted no recibe una carta pero cree que su hijo/estudiante califica?

Algunos estudiantes que no reúnen los requisitos automáticamente pueden recibir las prestaciones alimentarias EBT de verano rellenando una solicitud. Tenga en cuenta que para ser elegible para solicitar a través de esta aplicación, el estudiante debe asistir a una escuela que participa en el Programa Nacional de Almuerzos Escolares (NSLP), Y los ingresos del hogar debe estar en o por debajo de los límites de elegibilidad para comidas escolares gratuitas / precio reducido.

Las familias sólo tendrán que rellenar una solicitud para todos los estudiantes de la unidad familiar, que deberá cumplimentar uno de los padres o el tutor.

¿A cuánto ascenderá la prestación?

En 2024, cada niño que cumpla los requisitos recibirá 120 dólares en prestaciones alimentarias EBT de verano durante un periodo de tres meses. Hay un plazo de 122 días para utilizar todos los beneficios EBT de verano. Todos los beneficios no utilizados se eliminan de la tarjeta después de este tiempo. Asegúrese de utilizar sus beneficios lo antes posible después de recibirlos.

¿A dónde se enviarán los beneficios?

Todos los fondos de EBT de verano se pondrán en la tarjeta EBT Pandémica (P-EBT) emitida anteriormente a menos que se solicite una nueva tarjeta a través del sitio web de la Oficina de Asistencia Temporal y por Discapacidad. Usted puede solicitar una nueva tarjeta a través de la página web de la OTDA, que también es el lugar para ir si usted necesita para reemplazar una tarjeta perdida o robada. Las familias que no hayan recibido anteriormente la P-EBT también pueden solicitar las nuevas tarjetas emitidas a través de este sitio.

¿Cuándo recibiré mi EBT de verano?

Se espera que las primeras prestaciones alimentarias EBT de verano se emitan a partir de mediados de julio de 2024 y continuarán hasta octubre de 2024.

Para obtener más información, incluida la determinación de la elegibilidad o la solicitud de una tarjeta P-EBT de reemplazo, visite https://otda.ny.gov/programs/summer-ebt/.

 

 

2024 Seasonal Greenmarkets and Farmstands Opening!

March 18, 2024
Posted in Greenmarket

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 Greenmarket 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.

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

OPENING DATE   SEASONAL GREENMARKETS & FARMSTANDS
April 16   Bowling Green Tuesday Greenmarket
April 17   Tribeca Wednesday Greenmarket
May 4   Bay Ridge Greenmarket Saturdays
May 12   Bartel-Pritchard Square Greenmarket Sundays (also open on Wednesdays)
May 12   Stuyvesant Town Greenmarket Sundays 
June 1   57th Street Greenmarket Saturdays
June 2   Bensonhurst Greenmarket Sundays
June 4   Astor Place Greenmarket Tuesdays
June 4   Fort Washington Greenmarket Tuesdays
June 4   Bronx Borough Hall Greenmarket Tuesdays
June 8   Staten Island Mall Greenmarket Saturdays 
June 11   Elmhurst Greenmarket Tuesdays
June 14   Corona Greenmarket Fridays
June 16   Domino Park Greenmarket Sundays
June 18   Greenmarket at the Oculus
June 19   Mount Sinai Hospital Greenmarket Wednesdays
June 21   Lincoln Hospital Greenmarket Fridays (open Tuesdays June 25)
June 23   92nd Street Greenmarket Sundays
June 25   Poe Park Greenmarket Tuesdays
June 27   175th Street Greenmarket Thursdays
June 28   Parkchester Greenmarket Fridays
July 3   Eastchester Farmstand Wednesdays
July 3   Morris Heights Farmstand Wednesdays 
July 3   Morrisania Farmstand Wednesdays
July 5   NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur Health Farmstand Fridays 
July 5   Cypress Hills Farmstand Fridays
July 5   Lower East Side Farmstand Fridays
July 6   Brownsville Pitkin Farmstand Saturdays 
July 6   Forest Park Farmstand Saturdays 
July 6   Ridgewood Farmstand Saturdays 
July 11   Boro Park Greenmarket Thursdays
July 17   Flushing Greenmarket Wednesdays
July 20   4th Ave Sunset Park Greenmarket Saturdays

2023 Seasonal Greenmarkets and Farmstands Opening!

May 5, 2023
Posted in Greenmarket

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 

Jazz Foundation at GrowNYC Greenmarkets

October 1, 2021
Posted in Greenmarket

Come out and hear Jazz Foundation musicians playing at GrowNYC Greenmarkets!

The Jazz Foundation of America, a non-profit organization based in Manhattan, provides retired professional jazz musicians with the opportunity to continue performing.

Through their "Gig Fund," the Jazz Foundation produces free, “pop-up” performances for underserved audiences. The shows take place in public spaces as opposed to traditional and costly venues, and engage new audiences who would not otherwise have the chance to hear these accomplished players. We are thrilled to announce the schedule of performers coming out to GrowNYC Greenmarkets. 

FALL SCHEDULE JAZZ FOUNDATION
AT GROWNYC GREENMARKETS 

 October 9

    57th Street Saturday Greenmarket

    Will Terrill Band

 October 10

    92nd Street Sunday Greenmarket 

    Rick Fiori Band

 October 12

    Brooklyn Borough Hall Tuesday Greenmarket

    Band TBD

 October 14

    Myrtle-Wyckoff Thursday Greenmarket 

    Jerry Griffin


Presented in partnership with the Jazz Foundation of America, with partial support from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council

Cider Village at the Union Square Greenmarket October 8

September 1, 2021
Posted in Greenmarket

Save the date for one of our most beloved annual events, the Union Square Greenmarket Cider Village, as part of Cider Week New York! For one day only, New York cidermakers from far and wide will join our Friday market lineup to sling their sippable fall flavors! From fruity to funky, sweet to dry, crisp and complex, to bubbly and tart, there’s a cider for everyone. Along the way, you’ll meet (and taste!) some rare apples varieties and learn more about the cider-pressing process as well as the history of the craft that takes one of our state’s most venerated and prolific crops and turns it into liquid gold!

Guest cidermakers will have their bottles on offer, along with some lovingly culled informational displays, pairings and recipes all about apples and cider. Pick up a bottle you’ve never tried before, grab another bottle for a holiday gift, and maybe learn something new!

Special guests will also be on hand! Gidon Coll of Hudson Valley Apple Project will host an apple varietal display that is sure to leave you gleefully in awe of the range one fruit can embody, and apple enthusiast and photographer William Mullan of @pomme_queen fame will be taking pre-orders of the second run of his new and currently sold out book, Odd Apples (12-2PM). The book is an ode to the apple tree and features 128 portraits of rare and interesting apple varieties and their histories. 

CIDER VILLAGE 
Union Square West (at 15th Street)
Date: Friday, October 8
Time: 10AM. - 5PM

Participating Cideries:

Metal House Cider
Original Sin Cider
East Hollow Cider
Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider
Nine Pin Cider
 

Doctor's Orders!

August 11, 2021
Posted in Greenmarket

Two health insurance companies partner with GrowNYC to promote healthy eating among their members. 

Healthfirst recognizes that poor diet, a prominent risk factor linked to death and disease in the United States, is modifiable, and the health insurance company has partnered with GrowNYC to allow Medicaid and Medicare members to spend benefits (about $150 per month!) at our Greenmarkets, Farmstands, and Fresh Food Box sites on fresh fruits and vegetables.

Similarly, MetroPlus, another insurance company here in New York, is incentivizing healthy eating by providing Greenmarket Bucks (for use at GrowNYC food retail sites) to its members who have certain diet related illnesses.  

These programs, both focused on the connection between health and diet, are lauded at GrowNYC, where we work to provide access for all New Yorkers to healthy, fresh food while simultaneously promoting regional agriculture.  

Perhaps more health insurance companies will be inspired to launch similar programs, moving us closer to a health care system that integrates healthy habits for members and, by promoting local food, for the environment. 

 
Here’s a link for more information about GrowNYC’s partnership with Healthfirst, and here you will find further details on Greenmarket Bucks for MetroPlus members

Notice of Voluntary Recall, Hudson Valley Fisheries

June 7, 2021
Posted in Greenmarket

Notice of Voluntary Recall, Hudson Valley Fisheries 

GrowNYC has received notification from Greenmarket producer Hudson Valley Fisheries that due to the possibility of contamination they are voluntarily recalling the following products sold at their farm stand and other retailers.

  • Cold-Smoked Steelhead (“Trout Lox”)

No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with these products. This is a voluntary and precautionary recall initiated by Hudson Valley Fisheries. 

These products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

If you have an unopened cold-smoked pack that you purchased in May, please take a picture of it and send it to info@hudsonvalleyfisheries.com for a full refund.

Company Contact Information:
Hudson Valley Fisheries 
(914) 960-8549
info@hudsonvalleyfisheries

Letter from Hudson Valley Fisheries to their customers: 

We are reaching out because you recently purchased our Cold-Smoked Steelhead (“Trout Lox”). This week Banner Smoked Fish, the smokehouse that handles our cold-smoked trout, was issued a recall on all of its products smoked from May 8 - May 28 due to risk of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. Our last shipment from Banner was on April 29. Out of an abundance of caution, we are recalling our cold-smoked items sold in May up to today. None of our other products are impacted by this incident. Rest assured, no illnesses have been reported and we have received no notice of contamination in our cold-smoked trout. We are taking all possible precautionary measures because our customers' health and safety are our top priority. If you have an unopened cold-smoked pack that you purchased in May, please take a picture of it and send it to us at info@hudsonvalleyfisheries.com for a full refund.

We apologize for any inconvenience and are here to address any questions or concerns you may have. Please feel free to contact us directly via email info@hudsonvalleyfisheries.com or give us a call at (914) 960-8549.

FDA Recall Notice 

 

Grown with Pride

June 2, 2021
Posted in Greenmarket

These interviews were recorded in June 2019. 

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and, essentially, the birth of the Pride movement in the United States. 

Since the opening of the first Greenmarket in 1976 at 59th Street and Second Avenue in Manhattan, GrowNYC has endeavored to create community spaces where everyone is welcome. At the Greenmarket, neighbors gather not only to buy fresh food, but to mingle and check in on each other. It creates a feeling of belonging; the composition of the many Greenmarket communities throughout the City reflects the invigorating diversity of NYC itself.

We are honored to count a number of LGBTQ Producers and stand workers among our farmer community.

Members of Transgenerational Farm, City Saucery, Moxie Ridge, and Rise & Root Farm have graciously shared with us their experiences as LGBTQ farmers, and every Tuesday during Pride Month, our Union Square Greenmarket publicity team will post one of their stories on the Union Square Greenmarket Instagram account.  

You can also read the unedited versions here on our blog. We’ll be updating it every week as they come in.

Our first Pride Month profile is with Jayne of Transgenerational Farm. Here’s the complete transcript:

GrowNYC:  How did you become a farmer?

Jayne: I come from a long line of conventional farmers in rural Kansas. My dad is a county extension agent, and as a kid my two older sisters and I were always involved in 4-H from ages 7-18.  I grew up in southwest Kansas where the prairies and wheat fields are so vast and flat you can see your dog run away for a week. My first jobs were working on local farms, and I learned how to drive a tractor before I could drive a car.

When I was a sophomore in college my uncle, a farmer, passed away from cancer most likely caused by conventional chemicals, and my family moved to the northeast part of the state to take over the farm. We grew conventional corn, wheat, soybeans, and beef cattle. I spent countless hours fixing fences, checking cows, cutting hay, tilling fields, and drilling grains. While I loved this work, and excelled at it, this was also the time that I was beginning to understand my feelings of gender dysphoria and starting down the long and difficult road of transitioning. I always felt like I didn't have a future in rural Kansas. While I had found a small and close trans family at college (Rock Chalk Jayhawk -- go KU!!) there were no trans farmers; people like me didn't exist in rural Kansas. So when I was offered a job with AmeriCorps in New York City, I jumped at the chance, hoping to find queer and trans community. I spent seven years in the city working at various non-profits and eventually found my way to GrowNYC where I worked as a Fresh Food Box coordinator. Being involved in food access and food justice and seeing the farms in the Hudson valley reinvigorated my passion for agriculture.

Suddenly I could see a future where queer people grew food for each other and worked the land and used our magic to nourish our community, and I wanted that. So I took the FARMrots program at GrowNYC, and then was accepted into the pro-farmer program at the Hudson Valley Farm Hub, where I am now in my third year. The pro-farmer program allowed me to make connections with Sustainability Farm through a mentorship program, and now I am co-stewarding land with them in Accord, NY, in the shadow of the beautiful Mohonk Ridge with clear slight of the Mohonk Mountain House, and a stone’s throw from the Rondout Creek!   

How long have you been a Greenmarket farmer and what is your experience as a part of the market community in NYC?

This is my first year selling at Greenmarket and I am EXTREMELY excited to be a part of the Greenmarket family. I have a long history with GrowNYC, and now to see that relationship come full circle and reunite as a producer feels like coming home!

How has your experience as a part of the LGBTQ community informed your experience as a farmer?

One of the main driving forces and philosophies in my work is the desire to connect people with agriculture who are traditionally excluded from it. As a rural queer I felt a lack of safety in my home rural spaces which ultimately left me to leave. LGBTQ people should know that we have a right to rural life as much as anyone.

****************************************************************************************************

Next, we heard from Michael at City Saucery.

GrowNYC: How and why did you start your business?

Michael: Back in 2010, our careers were going nowhere (our backgrounds are both in design--me furniture/interiors and Jorge with graphic design--so we're both very visual). At the time, my Italian mom, a native of Calabria (who is an artist in the kitchen), started cooking at a local restaurant and gained kind of a cult following, so we started cooking classes. Jorge and I would both organize and promote these events to get our minds off of our (then) aimless careers, and my mom would teach--people just loved her. One thing led to another and people started inquiring about the sauces that we would pair with the food my mom cooked. That inspired us to create more sauces. After operating out of a shared incubator for several years, and a short stint with a poorly managed co packer, we finally decided to take back 100% control and get our own facility. Luckily, we found one in South Brooklyn, and the country’s first Saucery was born. The idea was (and still is) to produce specialty food products with a modern twist since we are, after all, a modern family.

How long have you been a GrowNYC Greenmarket producer and what is your experience as part of the Greenmarket community in NYC?

This is our third season with Greenmarket, and it has been one of the best experiences we've ever had as producers. The platform we are so fortunate to access weekly has helped us gain significant brand awareness and a level of customer interaction wholesale could never provide.

How has your experience as part of the LGBTQ community informed your experience as a business owner/GMKT producer?

Well, as proud members of the LGBTQ+ community, we understand that money equals both freedom and sustainability, so we decided to start our own business to help navigate our future together as both business and life partners. I would never leave our future in the hands of politicians, and no member of the LGBTQ+ community should.

As producers, it’s fueled our creativity further by inspiring us to recreate what it means to be a pasta sauce honestly. The classic sauces are great so why touch that? It’s not our style or inspiration, so we produce a very familiar pantry item …but with a modern twist. This is why you’ll find very unique flavor profiles at our Greenmarket stand and never the classic sauces typically found in grocery stores that are produced for celebrity chefs and inaccessible restaurants. The American pantry needs some updating, and we’re here for it.

****************************************************************************************************

Third up in our Pride series is Lee Henessy.

Lee is the farmer and cheesemaker behind Moxie Ridge Farm. You can find him slinging cheese every Friday at GrowNYC’s Union Square Greenmarket.

This is what Lee has to say about finding happiness and selling at Greenmarket, as well as how the solitude he’s found while farming has helped him get in touch with who he is:

“I’m a first generation farmer, and I got into farming through sheer force of will. Before I was doing a lot of creative and corporate work. I hadn’t found happiness through trying to be successful, so I decided to focus on happiness first then work on the success part later. And that’s what brought me to goat farming.

I joined GrowNYC’s Union Square Greenmarket in August 2018. I’m a little bit fanboy about the Greenmarket because it is such an important and influential market. I was a little starstruck when I started to be selling with producers that helped to start it. It means a lot to me to be a part of this community -- in an emotional way but also as a point of pride, like ‘hey look, this little farm in Argyle NY with this crazy person who makes these ridiculous cheeses is standing shoulder to shoulder with these other producers.’ The market is also the backbone of my farm. It’s why I drive 3 hours and 45 minutes every Friday morning at 3am with my product that I have to pack up for an hour before I leave. I do it because it allows me the flexibility and support financially to make the types of cheeses and do the type of farming that I want to do.

I came out as bi when I was 19, and it was very recently, at 38, that I came out as a trans man. It wasn’t until I started farming and gave myself the space and support I needed running the farm that I was able to make some realizations about who I am. I’m not sure being trans or bi affects my farming more than any other part of me. What I hope people understand is that it’s more of the effects of living as a queer person in this world that affect my farming and business decisions. There’s a difference.

I can’t really say that being queer has affected my farming. I think good farmers are very individual. Being a bi, trans man has informed me as an individual, and that’s how I farm. That’s how I raise my animals, that’s how run my business. But I would say farming has affected my ability and strength to be out and queer in a weird way. It’s all connected somehow.”

****************************************************************************************************

For our final installment of this series during Pride Month, we talked to Michaela Hayes of Rise & Root Farm. Here’s what she had to say about farming as a member of the LGBTQ community:

Rise & Root Farm is in the Black Dirt region of Orange County, NY. We moved here from NYC in 2015 to start the farm. My wife Jane and I, along with our partners Karen Washington and Lorrie Clevenger, started the farm together. We all met through urban farming and community gardening in NYC. One of our farm goals is staying connected with our NYC communities, and being at GrowNYC’s Union Square Greenmarket is a big part of how we have been able to do that. Another way we stay connected is finding ways to bring people to the farm. We hold monthly community work days and lead tours. This year we've started hosting events, and on June 29th, we are holding a Farm Pride Tea Dance to bring together our farming and LGBTQ communities.

We're not afraid to do hard things - being gay and out where we live, being farmers, starting a business, running a cooperatively-owned farm that is interracial and intergenerational, gay and straight. Every step of the way we have chosen our path because we believe in it. We're proud to be who we are and to expand the representation of what farmers look like in the U.S. We started our farm in large part because of our commitment to social justice and our belief that everyone should have access to fresh, healthy, affordable food. We know we can't work that out on our own - we need widespread, systemic change to make this reality come true. Growing our farm in a way that models the world we want to live in is one way we contribute to that change. 

We picked the name Rise & Root Farm for a lot of reasons, but the visual that we need to root down while rising up runs deep with us. Our roots make us who we are - the communities we come from, the people who came before us that helped us walk our path, the activists who fought for our right to exist and have agency, the people who have taught us what we know, our families and our ancestors. Our roots are growing to include our new neighbors, other local businesses, our farmer neighbors, and our market community. These are the roots that we rely on to help us thrive.

We started out at Greenmarket with our sister fermentation business, Crock & Jar, in 2012 at GrowNYC’s Fort Greene Greenmarket. In 2015, we started selling at the Friday Union Square Greenmarket, where we have stayed since. The other NYC-based market you can find us at is La Familia Verde Farmers Market in the Crotona/E. Tremont neighborhood in the Bronx. 

Rise Up and Root Deep!

Recent Posts

Programs

Tags

More tags

Archives