A huge thank you to all of the customers, food writers, and chefs who have reached out in search of information regarding our farmers and the impact that Hurricane Irene has had on their land, businesses, and families. It is times like these that we realize how truly vast and caring the Greenmarket community is.

We won't know for the days and weeks to come exactly how devastating the winds and flooding were to our growers, but we know already that many have been severely impacted. While farmers are assessing the damage and figuring out how to move forward, here are two ways you can help:

1. Donate.

Give what you can, but those of you donating $50 or more and dedicating it to "Hurricane Relief" between now and September 30 will receive a free Greenmarket poster illustrated by artist Claudia Pearson. 100% of all donations will directly support Greenmarket farmers impacted by Hurricane Irene.

Instructions for donating:
Go to our Network for Good donation page
Choose Program Designation: Hurricane Irene Relief

Posters:

2. Eat locally for all of September.

Join Greenmarket and NOFA-NY as we celebrate the glorious month that is September, when summer tomatoes and eggplant are sharing the table with newly arrived winter squash and cauliflower. Eat an all local meal every day, host a locally-sourced potluck visit a Greenmarket-inspired restaurant, and tell us all about it (submit photos and stories to Liz Carollo at lcarollo@greenmarket.grownyc.org).

Register here.

Thank you for supporting Greenmarket farmers!

This year, Farm Aid held its 26th annual benefit concert in Kansas City, and GrowNYC joined in the festivities by programming a Youthmarket farm stand at the show, giving more than 25,000 concert goers the opportunity to purchase farm-fresh food produced by Kansas City-area farmers, bakers, and beekeepers.

In the months leading up to the Farm Aid show, GrowNYC reached out to farmers and youth organizations in Kansas City and neighboring regions to supply and staff the stand. The day of the show, the Youthmarket stand offered a variety of items such as roasted corn, bison jerky, baked goods, candied pecans, honey products, and fresh berries, peaches, apples, and tomatoes. Traffic at the stand was considerable all day, and GrowNYC was able to make a donation to Farm Aid after paying youth staff and purchasing more than $3,000 worth of food from local producers.

Learn more about Youthmarket.

Greenmarket's fall semester is officially in session!

We're proud to present three Educated Eater panel discussions where we invite New Yorkers to join regional farmers and local food advocates in conversations with that explore aspects of our agricultural sector here in the Northeast.

Immigrant Farmers & Local Food: Greenmarket's International Community
Wednesday, August 24, 6-8 p.m.
The Astor Center
399 Lafayette St. (at East 4th St.)
Tickets: $15. Purchase here.

While all the food available at Greenmarket is grown within a specific radius around the City, several of the program's farmers hail from countries far removed from the Northeast. This anecdotal panel discussion will focus on their journeys to New York, the culinary and agricultural traditions they brought with them, and how they've introduced aspects of their heritage to the Greenmarket community. Speakers include Jorge Carmona of Amantai Farm, Sandy Kim of Hot Bread Kitchen, Hector Perez of Jersey Farms Produce and David Rowley of Monkshood Nursery. Greenmarket's publicity coordinator, Jeanne Hodesh, will moderate. Light fare prepared by Jacques Gautier of Palo Santo and cocktails by Jennifer Smith of the Astor Center will be served at a reception following the panel.

In Defense of Corn
Wednesday, September 14, 6-8 p.m.
The French Culinary Institute
462 Broadway, Ampitheatre
Tickets: $15. Purchase here.

Look beyond high fructose corn syrup and join us as we explore the misconstrued crop of corn, defending its rich history and culinary merits. Greenmarket's fall semester of Educated Eater panel discussions continues with a line-up of experts who will examine corn in its many incarnations: corn on either side of the equator, distilled corn, corn as animal feed, and corn through the ages, from a native crop to its present state in the Northeast. Speakers include Jessamyn Waldman of Hot Bread Kitchen and Thor Oeschner of Farmer Ground Flour, moderated by Ian Cheney, director of King Corn. A tasting of popcorn and corn-centric snacks will follow the discussion.

Farmland Conservation
Wednesday, November 16, 6-8 p.m.
The New School, Theresa Lang Center, Arnhold Hall, 55 West 13th Street, 2nd floor
Tickets: $5. 212.229.5488 or boxoffice@newschool.edu
Free to students and New School faculty, staff, and alumni with ID

Greenmarket was launched in 1976 with a twofold mission: to give New Yorkers access to locally grown food while keeping regional farmland in production and protected from development. Thirty-five years later, 230 family farms, constituting more than 30,000 acres of farmland, sell their products at Greenmarkets. The pressure to develop farmland is particularly high in our region, and devising strategies to keep farmland in production is of paramount importance. The challenges and solutions to protecting farms from development are discussed by speakers including David Haight, New York director of American Farmland Trust; moderator John Clinton, chair of the Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management program at The New School; and others to be announced. Sponsored by Greenmarket and the New School Food Studies program.

On September 27, 2011, Sotheby's Auction House will host the second annual Art of Farming event to celebrate edible heirlooms and the art involved in their creation. Just in time for the harvest season, this special evening provides a unique platform for local farmers, purveyors, celebrity chefs, food industry experts and philanthropists to join together for a shared interest in supporting local agriculture and sustainable food options for all New Yorkers.

The evening includes a cocktail reception with delicious hors d'oeuvres by Rouge Tomate, followed by a seated family-style dinner reflecting the bounty of the season. Featured dishes will be created by a line-up of prominent NYC and tri-state area chefs, known for their pride in farm-to-table cuisine, including Dan Kluger of ABC Kitchen, Alexandra Guarnaschelli of Butter, Ralf Kuettel of Trestle on Tenth, Jeremy Bearman of Rouge Tomate, Jimmy Carbone of Jimmys 43, and more. The chefs will use heirloom vegetables grown by local farmers especially for the occasion.

Buy tickets or read more.

On this day, 35 Years Ago…

On August 1, 1976, The New York Times was reporting on the successful rebirth of farmers' markets in New York City, citing quotes from enthusiastic shoppers and farmers who played equal parts in the success of the first Greenmarket at E. 59th St. and Second Ave. The customers were raving about the fresh peaches, beefsteak tomatoes, and summer corn that the local farmers brought in for sale.

"'I get goose bumps just looking at these farmers coming from where there are real trees and plants,' said a woman clutching her chicory lettuce. 'It’s a real breath of fresh air. Everyone’s so happy to have them here.'"

Read the rest of the article here , and visit your neighborhood Greenmarket (there are now 53 of them around the city!) to enjoy some of those summer staples we take just as much pleasure in eating today.

First-time composters wonder about the best way to get their veggie trimmings to the compost collection. Here's our quick guide:

1) Get a storage container. Anything from a 32-ounce yogurt container or plastic bag to a covered pail will do the job. Check out our slideshow for more ideas.

2) Keep it cool. Store scraps in the freezer or fridge to reduce odors at home and at the Greenmarket.

3) Bring it to the market. Stop by the compost tent and empty your container into our receptacle. You can reduce waste by reusing the same container. After you shop you can drop in unwanted carrot tops, corn husks, radish greens, etc before leaving the market. That's it!

Learn more about what you can and can't compost.

Greenmarket's EBT/Food stamps program continues to expand exponentially, with figures for the first half of 2011 coming in 3.5 times higher than in 2010.

2009 Markets accepting EBT: 23 EBT total, January to June: $5,102

2010 Markets accepting EBT: 40 EBT total, January to June: $38,652

2011 Markets accepting EBT: 43 EBT total, January to June: $131,938

Thanks to continued support from Speaker Christine Quinn and the New York City Council, the number of Greenmarkets accepting EBT has risen steadily from 3 markets in 2005, to 23 markets in 2009, to the current 43 markets (including every Greenmarket in an outer borough) in 2011.

Greenmarket attributes a large part of the EBT program’s success to the NYC Department of Health's Health Bucks program. July through November, $2 Health Bucks are given out for every $5 an EBT customer spends at qualifying Greenmarkets market--representing a 40% boost in buying power.

Greenmarket's EBT program not only provides nutritious, local produce for all shoppers, it also makes a big impact on farmer revenues, providing 25-50% of farmer income in some cases.

Click here for more information about Greenmarket's EBT Program.

GrowNYC just announced that our 4-month compost collection pilot at select Greenmarkets has been extended through December 31, 2011, so to celebrate the program and the 116,265 pounds of kitchen scraps New Yorkers have contributed, we thought we'd take a look at some of the most fun ways people have been storing and transporting compost.

Special thanks to volunteer Nicholas Knoll for sharing his photo skills!

Have a cool photo of your compost solution? Post it on our Facebook page!

Learn more about GrowNYC's compost program.

We're thrilled to announce that Fresh Bodegas refrigerators are now stocked with spinach, collard greens, and strawberries, in addition to delicious Red Jacket Orchards juices.

Participating locations include:

Bedford Express Deli
1043 Bedford Ave.
(between Greene and Clifton)

Greene Ave. Deli
664 Greene Ave.
(at Throop)

Si Grocery
1082 DeKalb
(at Malcolm X Blvd.)

Learn more about Fresh Bodegas.

It’s been almost twelve years since Nestor and Alejandra Tello first joined the New Farmer Development Project in 2000 as the project’s first farmers. They’ve now become one of the project's true success stories, growing from modest beginnings with a few hundred chickens to a flock of 4000 lay-ers, on-farm honey production, and some diversified vegetables to boot.

Most recently, after 10 years of renting land, Nestor and Alejandra were finally able to purchase their very own 25 acre farm in Coxsackie, NY late last year.

Tello's Green Farm keeps its loyal customers happy at 8 Greenmarkets and 3 CSAs throughout New York City.

Click here for more info about the Tellos and the New Farmer Development Project.