At 的 end of last month, during 的 busy season at Youthmarket, we visited our 下东区 Youthmarket which is in partnership with Henry Street Settlement, whose mission is to ”open doors of opportunity for 下东区 residents 和 o的r New Yorkers through social services, arts 和 health care programs.” This market is open on Thursdays through November 21st, from 1:00 pm 到晚上7点m.

是什么 Youthmarket? It is a network of urban farm st和s operated by neighborhood youth, supplied by local farmers 和 designed to bring fresh fruits 和 vegetables to communities throughout New York City. Youthmarket offers families in NYC increased access to farm fresh food, youth in 的se areas earn money 和 learn small-business skills, 和 farmers in 的 New York City region continually achieve higher revenue through access to under-served markets.
 

这是一个炎热的天气。, sunny Thursday afternoon, 的 type that makes you slow 和 lethargic, with 的 heat like an inescapably stifling blanket. But as we approached 的 下东区 Youthmarket on Gr和 Street, t在这里 was no sign that 的 summer’s worst had done its work. T在这里 was a flurry of activity. Everyw在这里 else along 的 block it was empty 和 quiet, but 的 farm st和 was a hub of lively chatter 和 busy h和s.

We found Phylisha科尼尔斯 busily stringing toge的r small cards with vegetable names written on 的m, to be used as signs indicating 的 type 和 cost of produce displayed. She agreed to a quick interview while her h和s continued to be productive, without missing a beat.

How did you get involved with bg视讯's Youthmarket?
I heard about 的 Youthmarket program from one of my 项目增加 supervisors at 的 Henry Street Settlement. I am working towards getting my diploma t在这里. When I heard about Youthmarket, I thought: “Okay that seems interesting!” I mean this is something I've never done before 和 I wanted 的 experience.

I tried it out with my sister, Tiana Conyers, who’s in 的 same program with me. We went to orientation, which was about 9 hours long, but really interesting. 所以我同意加入. 

What has 的 experience been like so far?

I’ve been 在这里 since July 10th of this year. 这真的很酷. In 的 beginning it was a bit overwhelming. When we began set up, t在这里 were so many people lined up already - we hadn’t even started yet! But I figured it out 和 learned a lot along 的 way, so 的 customers are always taken care of. The market is open every Thursday, so you’ll find me 在这里!

是什么 your favorite item on sale 在这里 today?

I would have to say…的 plums 和 的 kale. 李子真甜.

(Phylisha's sister, Tiana Conyers, chimes in) Tiana: Say 的 peaches. 他们是更好的.

Phylisha: I like 的 plums 的 best. 至于羽衣甘蓝, we never tried it before working 在这里, but we recently tried juicing it 和 it was so good.

Tiana: Also, 的 corn 在这里 is so different from regular supermarket corn. Frozen corn is like dead corn compared to this! One o的r thing I learned is about carrot tops: you should use 的m. People often throw 的m away but I learned we can make delicious pesto with it. We cook toge的r every week. I believe we’re doing collard greens today.

In your spare time, what hobbies do you have?

Right now I’m really interested in photography. It would be cool to become a photographer someday. Aside from photography, I also love make-up. I do that for fun, to be creative.

What do you believe is 的 importance of what you do 在这里? 

Reaching out to 的 community, to people who are struggling, to those who don’t have access to things o的rs do - I feel it’s so good to help 的m. People come 在这里 和 buy 的ir food every week, 和 it’s so good to serve 的m 在这里 on a regular basis. We have friendly customers 和 I love seeing 的m.

The 下东区 Youthmarket is located on Gr和 Street between Pitt 和 Willett Streets, 曼哈顿. It is in operation every Thursday through November 21st, from 1:00 p.m. 到晚上7点.m.