The best of New York’s small farms is returning to Queens this spring with fresh fruits and vegetables for local shoppers in the communities of Fresh Meadows, Jamaica and Flushing.
Since 1991, Down to Earth Markets has been on a mission to sustain and strengthen New York’s regional food system in order to expand economic opportunities for local farmers and food makers and to provide communities with access to fresh, healthy and flavorful food.
Down to Earth Markets will be held at Cunningham Park, Jamaica, and Queens Botanical Garden.
The Down to Earth Cunningham Park Farmers Market
Created with the support of the Jamaica Estates Association and Friends of Cunningham Park, the Cunningham Park Farmers Market opens on Sunday, May 12, for its third season in the tennis courts parking lot off Union Turnpike on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Nov. 24.
There will be a showcase of fruits, vegetables, plants, meats, eggs and honey raised on small farms within a few hours’ drive of New York City. The addition of packaged and ready-to-eat and take-and-plate foods from artisan kitchens makes it a weekly must-go for locals, who have embraced the growing farmers market.
Cunningham Park can expect to see its favorite farmers and food purveyors return to the farmers market this season, including Alex’s Tomato Farm with their wide variety of locally grown fruits and vegetables, and Abundance Acres Farm with pasture-raised meats and eggs and maple syrup from trees on their property. Wave Hill Bread will bring European-style loaves and pastries from their Connecticut micro-bakery, and Meredith’s Country Bakery will offer their sweet and savory, traditional and gluten-free baked goods. Black Creek Farm will return to vegetables grown on their few acres of rich black dirt in Highland, New York.
The shortest commute to the market is enjoyed by Queens food makers Horman’s Pickles, Kouklet (Brazilian baked goods) and Gianni’s Chicken Burgers. Garden of Eve, a certified organic vegetable farm out of Riverhead Long Island, will be a new vendor at the market this year.
The full vendor list is available upon request and will be posted for shoppers at downtoearthmarkets.com.
Many of the farmers market’s vendors accept credit cards. SNAP EBT users are welcome, and can use their cards to get tokens at the manager’s tent, where Health Bucks are distributed throughout the season. WIC/Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks may be used at the farm stands.
The Down to Earth Jamaica Farmers Market
The long-running Jamaica Farmers Market is operated in partnership with the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation. It is open on Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Parsons Boulevard between Jamaica and Archer Avenues, and on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on 160th Street off of Jamaica Avenue through Nov. 23.
Serving neighborhoods residents and commuters, the Friday farmers market offers fresh, local fruits and vegetables, traditional and gluten-free baked goods, and pickles. On Saturdays shoppers can stock up on fruits and vegetables grown on small scale Long Island, upstate New York, and New Jersey Farms. The market is accepting SNAP EBT and WIC/FMNP and Health Bucks is available.
The Down to Earth Queens Botanical Garden
Just outside the gates of the Queens Botanical Garden in Flushing, at the corner of Main Street and Dahlia Avenue, the QBG Farmers Market offers farm-stand-fresh fruits and vegetables every Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 22. On a trip to the farmers market shoppers can also learn about the garden’s programming at the manager’s tent and drop off food waste for recycling through the Garden’s brown bin composting program. The market is accepting SNAP EBT and WIC/FMNP checks, and Health Bucks is available.
To get the latest news and schedules, shoppers are encouraged to visit downtoearthmarkets.com or sign up for email alerts from their farmers market at https://eepurl.com/dl6l71.
