New York City has a number of seasonal and year round ‘greenmarkets’. The concept of holding green markets in New York City originated in the late 1970’s when New York’s city dwellers found it difficult to access freshly grown produce. Coincidentally at this time the many individual local farmers who had small farms in parts of Brooklyn and Queens were also finding it difficult to distribute their perishable produce. The city then decided to organize these greenmarkets as a way of solving both these problems and greenmarkets have existed in several parts of New York City ever since.
The Union Square Green Market (http://www.unionsquarenyc.org/)
The Union Square Green Market is the oldest and most well known greenmarket in New York City. This market is held all throughout the year on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 8am until 6pm around Union Square Park which is located in downtown Manhattan at 14th Street and Broadway.
Celebrity chefs, local restaurateurs, home cooks and enthusiastic foodies all make their way religiously to this outdoor market to get their hands on the large variety of ‘bursting with goodness seasonal organic fresh produce’, meats, freshly baked breads and other confectioneries, juices, syrups, cheeses, jams, honeys, butters and many other products. All the products that are sold at this superb market are sourced from local farmers, bakers and producers who are always on hand to interact with the masses that throng this market regularly. At the end of market day many of these farmers donate their perishable produce to New York City’s food program for the homeless and the disadvantaged known as City Harvest. Bargaining is not an accepted norm at this market and anyway the prices of most of the goods offered at the market are already lower than those charged by the supermarkets. (especially in the case of seasonal fresh produce).
Similar greenmarkets are held in various parts of the city all year round:
| Greenmarket and its location | Day and Time | Borough of New York City |
|---|---|---|
| 77th Street Greenmarket (part of the Greenflea market on Columbus Avenue) | Sunday 10a-5p | Upper West Side, Manhattan |
| 97th Street Greenmarket between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues | Friday 8a-2p | Upper West Side Manhattan |
| Abingdon Square Greenmarket | Saturday 8a-2p | West Village , Manhattan |
| Bowling Green Greenmarket | Tuesday and Thursday 8a-5p | Downtown, Manhattan |
| Columbia University Greenmarket East Side of Broadway between 114 and 115 Streets | Thursday and Sunday 8a-6p | Uppers West Side, Manhattan |
| Cortelyou Road Greenmarket between Argyle and Rugby Road | Sundays 8a-3p | Brooklyn |
| Dag Hammarskjold Plaza Greenmarket | Wednesday 8a-6p | Midtown East, Manhattan |
| Brooklyn Borough Hall Greenmarket, Court Street | Tuesday and Saturday 8a to 6p | Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn |
| Fort Green Plaza corner of Washington Park and Dekalb Avenue | Saturday 8a-5p | Brooklyn |
| Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket | Saturday 8a-4p | Prospect Park Brooklyn |
| Greenpoint Mccarren Park Greenmarket | Saturday 8a-3p | Williamsburg, Brooklyn |
| Inwood Greenmarket, Cooper Street and Seaman Avenue | Saturday 8a -3p | Uptown Westside Manhattan |
| Port Authority Bus Terminal Greenmarket 42nd Street 8th Avenue (indoor market) | Thursday 8a-6p | MidtownWest, Manhattan |
| Staten Island Ferry White Hall terminal Greenmarket | Tuesday and Friday 8a-3p | Downtown, Manhattan |
| Tompkins Park Greenmarket | Sunday 10a-5p | East Village, Manhattan |
| Tribeca Greenmarket between Duane and Chambers Streets | Saturday 8a-3p | Downtown Manhattan |
| Tucker Square Greenmarket | Thursday and Saturday 8a – 5p | Upper West Side, Manhattan |
For a complete listing of all seasonal greenmarkets in New York City do visit http://www.cenyc.org/ourmarkets
