Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. at the Queens Borough Hall Farmstand.
Photo Credit: Queens Borough President’s Office
Fresh Fruits & Veggies Come to Queens Borough Hall & Jamaica Hospital Medical Center
Queens County Farm Museum, a leader in hyper-locally grown food in New York City, is opening two community-based farmstands this week at Queens Borough Hall and at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. Farm-fresh fruits and vegetables will be available at these two community-based locations for twenty-one consecutive weeks. These farmstands are in addition to Queens County Farm Museum’s own on-site farmstand that is open five days per week, Wednesday – Sunday 11:00 am – 5:00 pm through November 18th.
The Queens Borough Hall Farmstand, in partnership with Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr, is located at 120-55 Queens Blvd in Kew Gardens. It opens Thursday, June 15, 2023, and is available every Thursday from 10am – 3pm through November 2, 2023. This is the third year of this partnership to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to Queens Borough Hall and Queens residents. Centrally located, the Borough Hall Farmstand is accessible from the E and F trains, LIRR, three highways – Grand Central, Jackie Robinson, and Van Wyck Parkway – and 16 MTA bus stops within 1 mile. Cooking demos, tastings, free recipes and health and wellness resources will be available as part of farmstand programming.
The Jamaica Hospital Farmstand, in partnership with Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, is located at the Axel Building at 134-20 Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill and now in its fifth year. It opens June 16, 2023 and is available every Friday from 10am – 3pm through November 3, 2023. This farmstand location was established to bring fresh produce to this noted food swamp. Food swamps, as described in a 2018 Public Health Solutions report, are neighborhoods where fast-food purveyors outnumber healthful alternatives. Cooking demos, tastings, free recipes and health and wellness resources will be available at the Jamaica Hospital Farmstand programming in partnership with them.
Queens County Farm Museum’s produce travels less than eight miles from field to community farmstand. In addition to Queens Farm’s own fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, honey and eggs, these community farmstands will feature agricultural products grown and produced in New York State, expanding the reach of New York State agriculture more deeply into NYC’s urban communities that need access to fresh, minimally processed food. Credit cards, debit cards and cash are accepted at all Queens County Farm Museum locations in addition to multiple forms of nutrition assistance programs such as SNAP/EBT benefits, WIC, FMNP Checks, Health Bucks, and Fresh Connect Checks. To help encourage community composting, food scraps drop-offs are accepted at both community farmstand locations as well.
Queens County Farm Museum grows over 200 varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers making it a leader in hyper-locally grown food in New York City. Queens Farm’s crop plan features a variety of produce that includes herbs such as basil, parsley, sage, cilantro, chive, mint, and scallions; vegetables like asparagus, beans, broccolini, cabbage, carrots, chard, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, fennel, garlic, a range of lettuces, kale, kohlrabi, okra, onions, peas, peppers, potatoes, radish, spinach, squash, sweet potato, and microgreens; and fruits such as a selection of berries, melons and tomatoes. All Queens Farm produce is regeneratively grown using organic methods and is Certified Naturally Grown which means no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides are used.
“Queens County Farm Museum is at the forefront of the New Agrarian Economy,” said Jennifer Walden Weprin, Executive Director of the Queens County Farm Museum referring to Mayor Eric Adams report published in February 2021. “Every New Yorker deserves to eat farm-fresh local food. As we shorten the distance from farm to fork, we are thrilled to have the support of local leaders and partner organizations to expand our food work.”
“Nothing says summertime is like fresh produce! I’m so excited to welcome back the Queens County Farm Museum for our third annual Queens Borough Hall Farmstand,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “The farmstand is always a welcome sight for our local community members and Borough Hall workers who have come to love the seasonal and delicious varieties of fruits, veggies and produce the Queens County Farm Museum offers. I thank Queens Farm for their continuous dedication to the health and wellness of our families across The World’s Borough.”
“Jamaica Hospital is thrilled to partner for the fourth consecutive season with Queens County Farm Museum who brings hyper-local fresh produce to our campus. Our employees, patients and community can’t wait for the Farmstand to open,” stated Ann Corrigan, Director of Planning at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.
“The Queens County Farm Museum is an important link connecting urban consumers with New York agriculture, not only educating their neighbors, but providing them with farm fresh food. New York Farm Bureau congratulates Queen County Farm Museum for expanding its reach to ensure more New Yorkers can access local fruits and vegetables,” said David Fisher, New York Farm Bureau President.
