From The Miron Blog

With more and more New Yorkers clamoring for the freshest greens green can buy, it’s no surprise that a host of organic market alternatives are sprouting up around the city.

At the forefront of this local food phenomenon is the NYC Greenmarket, the brainchild of the Council on the Environment of New York. With multiple locations in all five boroughs, the Greenmarket has become a ubiquitous symbol of the the organic movement. 

The New Amsterdam Market, which finally secured a permanent home at the South Street Seaport, is not the same as, but rather an addition to, the city's thriving Greenmarkets, which are really a farmer's market-- about 99% of the vendors at any of the Greenmarket's 46 locations are farmers. The New Amsterdam Market is a weekly purveyor's market, where all kinds of local merchants can sell their wares. All businesses within 500 miles of New York City are invited to participate.

Another option for fresh veggie seeking foodies is a share in a Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA. Just as with the Greenmarkets, CSA veggies, fruits, eggs, and and wine hail from Hudson Valley farmlands. However, there is one key distinction between the systems: you don't get to choose your produce.

The CSA movement has had incredible momentum, with more than 18 new distribution centers opening just this year in addition to Southside (there were about 50 CSAs in 2008); compared to the Greenmarket, which has 46 locations throughout the boroughs, it seems that the CSA are becoming a favored local destination for fresh food. Not only does a CSA membership provide you with more beets for your buck, but it's also more convenient because chances are there is one right in your neighborhood.