Shoppers find fresh fruits and vegetables, authentic pastries, snacks and a sense of community at GrowNYC’s Jackson Heights Greenmarket.

By Luna Garces

It’s a sunny Sunday morning, and you’re meeting a friend at the farmers market. It’s been your tradition every summer for as long as you could remember. You’re surrounded by enthusiastic vendors selling juicy peaches and plums and pears and oranges. Ripe mangoes and pineapples. Cartons of cherries and strawberries. You inhale it all in; it smells like a tropical island. As you walk further down the block, you see the vegetable stands with every possible veggie you could think of. Cucumbers, corn, zucchini. Artichoke hearts and legumes galore. Eggplants, onions and vibrantly colored bell peppers. So fresh it’s like you picked them yourself. You turn and the smell hits you. Divine sugary and flaky pastries. Croissants, danishes, shortbread and cupcakes. You turn in the other direction, and the smell hits you again! Suddenly you forget you’re in New York City — you’re sure this is an old town somewhere on the coast of Colombia instead. Buñuelos, chicharrón, empanadas and almojábanas. The list goes on.

I know what you’re thinking. This must be heaven. Well … it’s not. This is GrowNYC’s Jackson Heights Greenmarket. Every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., 79th and 80th streets along 34th Avenue are packed with families, longtime residents and new couples who are looking to shop and see old friends. The market offers a variety of delicious produce, sweet pastries and savory Colombian and Mexican snacks.

Founded in 1970, GrowNYC is an environmental nonprofit striving to improve the quality of life for New York City citizens. Its dozens of farmers markets and 15 Farmstands stretching across New York City have made fresh food accessible and affordable to those who aren't often exposed to that sort of privilege.

Greenmarket Bucks are a new and helpful way for everyone to afford the food sold at the farmers markets and Farmstands. Healthfirst insurance members can bring their over-the-counter card to any Greenmarket and receive Greenmarket Buck $2 coupons in exchange. All fruit and vegetable stands at the Greenmarkets accept the coupons.

Marcel Van Ooyen, president and CEO of GrowNYC, said in a March 2021 statement that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the nonprofit saw a 44% increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, use at its Greenmarkets and other food access sites. “Right now, a growing number of New Yorkers need support in feeding their families,” he said.

Before the pandemic, 1.4 million New Yorkers relied on food pantries and soup kitchens, and 1.2 million were food insecure, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. A department press release states, “In 2019, NYC adults residing in households with the highest income levels consumed significantly more fruits and vegetables (3 servings) than those residing in households with lower income levels."

To combat these current and historical social injustices, places like Nolasco Farm are proud vegetable vendors at the Jackson Heights Greenmarket. Nolasco Farm has been growing local, fresh and pesticide-free produce for 16 years. They do their best to educate their customers on the benefits of eating locally grown food, and that’s their mission at this farmers market.

“Everyone should have that opportunity. No matter the income or anything, food should be fresh for everyone,” a farm representative says. Greenmarket Bucks makes that a reality, and Nolasco Farm is grateful to partake in that.

Maya Muñoz, a 22-year-old senior in college and Queens, New York resident, is a frequent customer at the Jackson Heights Greenmarket. She was buying fresh cilantro and avocados for guacamole from Nolasco Farm.

“Sundays have sort of always been my favorite part of the week since before I could remember,” she reminisces. “My mom would buy the week’s groceries, and I’d get an empanada before we’d head home.” This time around, Muñoz was buying groceries for herself. “It’s so great knowing that I don’t have to constantly be worrying about what I put in my basket. Foods like this shouldn’t break the bank,” Muñoz says.

A key factor of what makes Jackson Heights such a wonderful place is the sense of tradition and community that’s built at places like GrowNYC’s Greenmarket. The Greenmarket is more than just a supermarket, it’s a place for kids to play and for parents to catch up. It’s a place where new friends are made and old ones are reunited.

George Medina feels similarly. “My wife loves bringing the kids to play at Travers Park with their friends while I shop for the week’s lunches and dinners. It’s a tradition,” Medina says. “Traditions like these are what keep our neighborhood strong.”

Find a GrowNYC farmers market near you at grownyc.org/greenmarket/ourmarkets.