Farmstand at JFK: JetBlue Opens Pop-Up For Locally Grown Food

Airports aren't normally thought of as a great place to buy produce, especially if you're looking for locally grown, but a new pop-up farm stand has been set up inside the JetBlue terminal at JFK airport in New York City, according to ABC News. The farm stand will be there through the end of October.

JetBlue will host the farm stand at Terminal 5 from October 29 to October 31 in partnership with GrowNYC, which operates the city's 52 greenmarkets. The stand will have ingredients grown in New York States, according to organizers. They will also host composting demonstrations, pumpkin decorating and music.

"We're taking a chance," Sophia Mendelsohn, the head of sustainability at JetBlue Airways, said. They have previously worked with GrowNYC to introduce recycling and composting practices to food and drink vendors at the terminal. "It's not like you say airport and think farmers market, but it's actually the perfect environment to share how farms are important - connecting the retail experience to where everything comes from and what happens afterward."

The final list of participating farms and available farms and available food products isn't currently available, Mendelsohn told ABC News. She says the items will be appealing to passengers boarding a flight and travelers who have just arrived and want to pick up something healthy to eat alike.

Locally grown foods "are passions points for New Yorkers," Ariana Pernice, the manager of regional marketing for the New York region for JetBlue Airways, said. "That's something we'd like to share with visitors coming in and also to give back to those who live here."

The JFK farm stand is a test model, though the airline hasn't ruled out repeating the event or replicating it if it's successful. There is another farm stand at San Francisco airport, the Napa Farms Market, which is a 5,000-square-foot brick-and-mortar cafe and marketplace located inside Terminal 2. The market was modeled after the Ferry Building and includes local offerings such as Equator Coffee, Tyler Florence's Rotisserie, Kara's Cupcakes and Acme Bakery.