Summer is a great time to buy local fruits and vegetables, and the Upper East Side residences at The Kent are near to some of the best markets in the city. You’ll find the freshest produce, and everything from homemade baked goods to seasonal flowers (all sourced from New York and New Jersey farmers), without having to stray too far from your home at The Kent. Read on to see what’s in store for summer’s best, as well as some options that bring you locally sourced food year-round.
 
Two of our favorites were brought to the neighborhood via GrowNYC programs and their Greenmarket initiative. Their network of farmers markets brings a wonderfully fresh and healthy variety of regionally produced goods to the area with the goal of ensuring that “all New Yorkers have access to the freshest, healthiest local food.” One of these is the 82nd Street, St. Stephen’s Greenmarket. On Saturdays throughout the year, follow a dedicated flock of shoppers to a sidewalk market that stretches into the nearby St. Stephen’s churchyard. There, you’ll discover organic meats, fresh baked goods, and every manner of produce brought in from all over the upstate area. Indulge in wild-caught seafood from Suffolk County, dairy from Orange County, or honey from Delaware County. Ulster County brings the Bread Alone Bakery and a delectable array of pastries, while seasonally available cherries, strawberries, peaches, apples, and cider mark spring, summer, and fall with signature sweetness. And for a prime cut to feature at an impromptu Saturday evening dinner party, grass-fed and grain-finished Angus beef from Madison County can be procured at Sun Fed Beef / Maple Avenue Farms. With the help of dedicated volunteers from Upper Green Side and St. Stephen’s Church, this neighborhood market is surely one of NYC’s best.
 
Though smaller, 92nd Street Greenmarket brings many of the same types of offerings and vendors as the larger 82nd Street Greenmarket, though with a few added items and specialty delights. Like its GrowNYC sibling at 82nd Street, both American Pride Seafood and Back to the Future Farm/Ole’ Mother Hubbert milk are here, but you’ll also find Halal Pastures Farm vegetables from Orange County, baked goods from Meredith’s Bread in Ulster County, N.Y., and Norwich Meadows Farm Certified Organic vegetables from Chenango County, N.Y. Take home a basket of summer-fresh meat, vegetables, and fruits, and dress your table or counters with seasonal and freshly cut flowers from Sikking Farms in Atlantic County, N.J.
 
One of the oldest flea markets on the Upper East Side, East 67th Street Flea & Farmers Market offers flavorful and locally produced fruits and vegetables and other foodstuffs, but we like to come out on a Saturday morning to browse the many vendors hawking all types of bargains. Antique jewelry, books, arts and crafts, and even designer eyewear are just a few of the myriad curios and practical goods that can be had here “on the cheap” in an open-air stretch that reaches from the outdoor schoolyard of P.S. 183 into its cafeteria. The space is operated by P.S. 183’s own PTA and is the oldest running market in the entire city. 
 
The Upper East Side offers a market for every season, but summer is assuredly when the food is freshest. Get out for a Saturday morning stroll and treat yourself to some of the region’s finest produce and baked goods. Or pick up a one-of-a-kind gift for someone special, or even yourself, at some of the oldest and best markets in NYC.