Summary: The Urban Produce Program is offering New York City’s urban residents free fresh produce in an effort to improve the overall health of low-income individuals in food deserts.

Description: The Program disburses thousands of pounds of fresh produce on an annual basis to the New York City in need community. The low-income clientele should be consuming at least nine servings (at least 4½ cups) of vegetables and fruits a day. With the rising costs of fresh foods the Urban Produce Program offers a chance for the most in need clients to bridge the gap in their malnourished diets by including fresh produce into their diets. The Urban Produce Program has a combined goal with our green initiative. Nourishing NYC has several local gardens as well as partnerships including The New York Horticultural Society, the New York Restoration Project, Manhattan Land Trust, and the Mount Sinai CSA. These partners will help supply a portion of the seasonal produce distributed.

Assorted produce that is distributed are as follows with a preference to darker more nutrient pack fruits and vegetables. Spring fruits are apricots, pineapple, strawberries, and mango.Spring vegetables are peas (sugar snap and snow) and more delicate cabbages including mustard greens, baby lettuce, baby spinach and watercress. Also in season are artichoke, asparagus, avocado, new potatoes, rhubarb. Summer fruits include some berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries) and stone fruit (nectarines, peaches, and plums) as well as melons. Summer vegetables include beets, corn, cucumber, eggplant, green beans, tomatoes and zucchini. Autumn fruits include apples, grapes, figs, pears, and pomegranates. Autumn vegetables include many cultivars of wild cabbage (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower,collards, endives, and kale). Root vegetables (garlic, ginger, parsnips, turnips and yams) and winter squash (acorn squash, butternut squash and pumpkins) are also in season. Corn is in season and peas, seasonal in spring, are also seasonal in late autumn. Winter fruits include citrus (Clementine’s, grapefruit, oranges, and lemons) and pomegranates. Winter vegetables include hardier cabbages (kale, leeks, radicchio, and Brussels sprout). Also seasonal in winter are some root vegetables (rutabaga, turnips, and radishes) as well as winter squash.