Urban Farm Will Bring Vegetables To Essex Crossing's Market

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — The largest farm on the island of Manhattan opened at Essex Crossing and is expected to start growing carrots, turnips, radishes, beets and even some baby kale.

Essex Crossing Farm, which will be operated by the non-profit Project EATS, brings a quarter-acre of organic greens that will be sold at a "Farmacy" at the development's future store Market Line, expected to open this fall. The farm is the largest on the island. In the borough of Manhattan, only Randall's Island is larger than the new Lower East Side farm, according to Delancey Street Associates.

"Project EATS is extremely grateful for the opportunity Delancey Street Associates is giving us to work with and support this richly diverse, resourceful, and resilient community on the Lower East Side," Linda Bryant, founder and president of Project EATS, said in a statement.

Project EATS, which has about 10 gardens citywide, will run a public health initiative providing neighbors who have prescriptions for fresh food with some food for more than four months this year. Project Eats estimates it will provide produce to some 100 patients this year.

The urban farm, located on the sixth floor terrace at 125 Delancey St., will also provide after-school programming to public school students, Saturday breakfast for seniors, and youth employment training at five area high-schools.

One of the Essex Crossing developers on the project previously worked with Project EATS on a farm in Brownsville, Brooklyn, which produces about 10,000 pounds of produce each season.

"As we know well from our work in Brownsville with Project EATS, we couldn't possibly find an operator more dedicated not simply to creating a great farm, but to engaging with the community on many levels — from education, to senior programming, to workforce development, to health and wellness," said Debbie Kenyon, vice-chair at L+M Development Partners, a part of the team Delancey Street Associates.

Produce from the urban farm will be sold at its stand dubbed the "Farmacy" at Essex Crossing's Market Line this fall, which is an extension of the recently opened Essex Street Market.

For now, produce from the farm will be sold Wednesday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Essex Crossing Park, at Clinton and Broome streets.