The Queens County Farm Museum has opened its seasonal farmstands on its site in Floral Park and at the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Richmond Hill. Farm-fresh fruits and vegetables will be available at these farmstands until November.
Located at 134-20 Jamaica Ave., the farmstand at the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center has entered its sixth year of operation. This season, it will be open every Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Nov. 1. This location was originally created as a means to bring fresh produce to the Richmond Hill neighborhood, which had long been identified as a “food swamp,” an area where fast food joints outnumber locations where healthy alternatives are available.
In addition to fresh fruits and vegetables, this farmstand offers cooking demos, tastings, free recipes, and health and wellness resources. The produce for this farmstand is moved less than nine miles from the field.
Queens County Farm Museum said that it was pleased to bring fresh, locally grown produce to the hospital and surrounding community.
“This initiative not only provides nutritious food options but also promotes healthy living through affordable food access, cooking demos, tastings, and wellness resources,” said Queens County Farm Museum Executive Director David Hughes. “ Our partnership with Jamaica Hospital Medical Center underscores our commitment to serving Queens residents and the Jamaica Hospital campus in addressing fresh food accessibility challenges in the area.”
The hospital also celebrated the farmstand’s return for yet another season.
“Jamaica Hospital is thrilled to partner for the sixth consecutive season with Queens County Farm Museum, who bring hyper-local fresh produce to our campus,” Jamaica Hospital Medical Center Director of Planning Ann Corrigan said. “Our employees, patients and community are very grateful to have the farmstand back again this year. Adding a cooking demonstration was a fabulous idea.”
The Queens County Farm Museum’s on-site farm stand is located at 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy. With a rich assortment of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers grown in the museum’s fields, this farmstand offers the same resources as the one at the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. It is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Nov. 17.
In addition to offering fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, honey, and eggs produced at the Queens County Farm Museum, both farmstands also offer agricultural products from farms across New York State. This helps farmers across the state gain access to New York City communities. Those who intend to go to either of these farmstands are also encouraged to drop off food scraps there to contribute to community composting.
Both locations accept credit cards, debit cards and cash—and payment via nutrition assistance programs, including SNAP/EBT benefits, WIC, FMNP Checks, Health Bucks and Fresh Connect Checks.
More than 200 varieties of fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers are grown at the Queens County Farm Museum. Some of the herbs featured in the 2024 crop include basil, parsley, dill and cilantro. Some of the vegetables include beans, beets, broccolini, cabbage, carrots, chard, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, fennel, garlic, lettuce, kale, okra, onions, peas, peppers, potatoes, radishes, salad turnips, spinach and squash. The fruit includes cantaloupe, strawberries, watermelons and tomatoes.
All produce at Queens Farm is regeneratively grown through organic methods and is Certified Naturally Grown, meaning it is grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.
Those who wish to learn more about the Queens County Farm Museum and its farmstands—as well as its growing practices and produce—can visit queensfarm.org/farmstand.
