Welcome to Bill de Blasio’s New York.

The Union Square Farmer’s Market or “Green Market” is a fixture of NYC life. Every Saturday you can find it between S Park Ave and 17th street selling fresh produce.

The corporation that hosts the Green Market now “Grow NYC” has begun to accept EBT cards.

From Grow NYC website:

EBT is accepted at more markets than ever before! Find out which Greenmarkets accept EBT.

By accepting EBT payments at Greenmarkets, GrowNYC aims to provide all shoppers with access to fresh, local, nutritious food from the farmers market. Thanks to continued funding from the New York City Council, over 50 Greenmarkets now accept EBT.

In 2012, EBT cards could be used at 51 Greenmarkets, up from only three markets in 2005. EBT sales in 2012 exceeded $830,000, and in some markets, daily EBT sales reached close to $6,000.

EBT has become a critical supplement to farmers who depend on these markets for survival, as some farmers reported that EBT sales comprise 25% to 50% of their total income.

EBT, along with the Federal Farmers Market Nutrition Program, WIC Vegetable and Fruit Checks, and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygienes Health Buck Program, helps ensure that all New Yorkers have access to nutritious and fresh products grown on family farms in the New York region. Learn how to use EBT, WIC and FMNP at Greenmarket.

With support from the Farmers Market Federation of NY, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the City Council, GrowNYC has established a national model for operating EBT at farmers markets, greatly expanding food access in New York City. To find out more, read our reports and resources.