Farmers’ market season in full bloom

The 2008 farmers’ market season in Queens is in full swing. The latest location opening, at the Queens Botanical Garden in Flushing, took place on Friday, July 11.
This market, at 43-50 Main Street, is going to be open every Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
There is another market at The New York Hall of Science, at 47-01 111th Street, in Corona; it is open every Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The third farmers’ market in Queens is on 160th Street and Jamaica Avenue and it is open every Friday and Saturday, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
At these locations, farmers from Long Island and upstate New York sell fruit and vegetables at prices comparable to those in supermarkets, said Miriam Haas, spokesperson for Community Markets, the New York company managing these markets. You can get, for example, onions and beets for $2 a bunch and a pint of blueberries and cherries for $5, Haas said.
Every season, low-income women who are pregnant or have children under 5 can get a booklet with 12 checks each worth $2 which they can use to shop at these markets. Eligible women can get these booklets by visiting WIC offices at hospitals or community-based health clinics, said Bob Lewis, special assistant for market development at the New York State Department of Agriculture.
Queens has 16 WIC offices and women can find the one closest to them by calling 1-800-522-5006, Lewis said.
Low-income seniors can get the same booklets but with 10 checks on a first-come first-served basis from city-funded senior centers in the borough.
“It’s really an educational benefit – it’s not food assistance,” Lewis said, explaining that the checks are being distributed in order to educate people about the benefits of buying and eating fresh locally grown produce.
The market season ends in November, Haas said.