For years, the Bloomberg administration has tried to increase access to fresh produce in low-income neighborhoods across NYC. In 2007, the city promised 1,500 new permits to vendors who commit to selling fresh fruits and vegetables from carts in low-income neighborhoods, but results were somewhat disappointing. To make matters worse, community farmers markets—not to be confused with larger operations like the Union Square Market, which are run by the non-profit Greenmarket—face a tangle of red tape that has kept fresh produce out of under-served neighborhoods. With supermarkets steadily disappearing in low-income areas, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer wants the city to make it easier for farmers markets to thrive. more ›

A group of Queens residents is bringing its version of the Park Slope co-op to the "food desert" of Long Island City. Fifteen foodies are currently in the planning stages for the grocery cooperative, which they hope to have up and running by 2011. "People are very interested in food in this borough," said Leah McLaughlin, publisher and editor of the food magazine Edible Queens. Like its Brooklyn inspiration, the Queens Harvest Food Co-op will be staffed exclusively by members and funded by member contributions, as well as grants. "We hope the food co-op will increase access to affordable, fresh, healthy foods," organizer Maggie Ornstein told the NY Daily News. "The hope is to have what you'd find in your supermarket. The main difference is as a [co-op] member, you have decision-making ability." more ›

Fresh garbanzo beans are cheaper than fava beans, and they demonstrate in a nutshell (pod?) the “better vegetables through outer boroughs” principle of produce. It may hardly be news, but more than a pound of still-in-shell chickpeas was found yesterday for $1.99 at Brooklyn’s Three Guys, a 24/7 discount greens place on the corner of 65th and Fort Hamilton Parkway. Shopping-wise, you may get pushed out of the way by a cart wielding nonna gunning for the greengage plums, or distracted by a cross-dressing man calmly sorting through the melons. more ›

Enjoy it folks -- blueberries are in peak season. Although technically they are in season from May to October, they've exploded recently. They're showing up in farmers' markets (here's a map of map of NYC Greenmarkets), CSA shares, and even the New York Times magazine's sunday recipes. more ›

For decades, residents of low-income neighborhoods under-served by supermarket chains have been getting their hands on produce the old fashioned way: By growing it in their own gardens. In recent years, outer-borough farmers have taken urban agriculture a step further by selling their mostly organic haul at well-organized community markets. more ›

Photo: Food of the Future more ›