The year was 1968. Beehive hairdo’s were the rage, as were cars with lots of shiny chrome. New Jersey was lush with diners, drive-in movies and roadside farmstands. And the Jersey tomato reigned supreme. In 1968, there were a number of “Jersey tomato” varieties on the market–products of prior decades of breeding tasty, tangy tomatoes […]
What’s in Season from the Garden State: What Gym Membership is to Fitness, Community Supported Agriculture is to Local Healthy Eating
So many people recognize the merits of committing to a regular exercise regime through gym membership. Fitness centers offer an array of equipment – variety you couldn’t duplicate in a home gym, and are frequented by people with similar goals that can offer support and advice on training. Paying for a membership adds to the […]
What’s in Season from the Garden State: Rutgers on Your Plate – 250th Anniversary Spotlights NJAES-Developed Foods
You wouldn’t know it from looking at your dinner plate, but some of the foods you consume, whether from a supermarket, farm market, garden, or local restaurant, were developed at Rutgers. Through the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES), the university has been and continues to breed varieties of fruits and vegetables, and even […]
What’s in Season from the Garden State: The Historic Rutgers Tomato Gets Re-invented in University’s 250th Anniversary Year
Of the hundreds of varieties of tomatoes grown by home gardeners or commercial growers, there are a few standards that have become household names. One of those is the ‘Rutgers’ tomato – a leading home garden and processing variety of the early/mid-20th century. While the Rutgers tomato is no longer commercially grown for canned tomato […]
What’s in Season from the Garden State: Summer Picnic Foods Should Not Be Brown and White
It’s summertime in Jersey and the landscape bursts into a symphony of color: greenery, flowers, blue skies and water, beach umbrellas, fireworks. And then you go to a picnic or barbeque. All of a sudden the tableau turns to a drab brown and white: Hot dogs. Hamburgers. Buns. Potato salad. Cole slaw. Cola. Lemon-lime soda. […]
What’s in Season from the Garden State: The Basil Battle – New Cultivars on the Horizon to Beat Downy Mildew
For the past seven years, a familiar scenario has been playing out on farms and in gardens across the U.S. A healthy, fragrant crop of sweet basil begins to display yellowing leaves. Upon closer inspection, the undersides of the leaves show signs of a menacing grayish sporulation. It is only a matter of time before […]
What’s in Season from the Garden State: Farm to Fork Food Waste? It Depends on Your Perspective
By Rick VanVranken, Agricultural and Resource Management Agent, Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension of Atlantic County August “Augie” Wuillermin, co-owner/operator with his brother, Ed Jr., of Ed Wuillermin & Sons Farm in Hammonton, NJ, turned in disgust and grumbled, “Some days I just have to stay out [of the packing house] when the peppers come in […]
What’s in Season from the Garden State: Making Bucks from Clucks, Not Books
Historically, young people were taught a trade by serving as apprentices or learning the ropes from a relative in a family business. While modern education emphasizes learning through books, classroom and lab experience, academia has increasingly embraced the value of hands-on involvement and commonly provides students opportunities for fieldwork or internships. Agricultural entrepreneurship offers its […]
What’s in Season from the Garden State: Legendary Jersey Tomatoes and the Role NJ Farmers Played in Selecting Winners
Alumni Note: Rutgers’ work in tomato breeding was greatly influenced by the farm families growing test plants for the university. These families in turn were influenced by their connection to Rutgers. Read about Joe Musumeci’s (CAES ’67) journey from the family farm to Rutgers. Several of the classic Jersey tomato varieties that were grown on […]
What’s in Season from the Garden State: Celebrating Over 100 Years of Ag Innovation and the NJ Farmers that Helped
For a university that has been around for almost 250 years, big anniversaries are a good time to gauge progress and reflect on past accomplishments. While Rutgers University still has another two years to go before its actual 250th anniversary (it was established in 1766), the year 2014 marks two milestones that reflect the university’s […]
