Farmers, farm markets, living in NJ

The Garden State.

When I was growing up in Cranbury the potato farms were in full swing. No one was thinking about (at least as far as I knew/know) preserving farmland, the farmers worked the land and we lived in a small town where farming was a mainstay.

Driving on Plainsboro Rd from Main St through to Rt 1, there were a smattering of houses & the rest were fields. No developments, no apartment complexes.

And the markets, as best I remember, had mainly fruits & vegetables in season - season likely included Florida & California (remember the grape workers union as it developed a voice in the 70's?) - did not include Chile, Israel & Australia.

Here we are in 2010; the pendulum swings.

Markets are rife with food from around the globe. And now, many of us want to know the source of our food. For many individual reasons.

How fortunate are we in Cranbury to have working farms. Toward the end of last week a crate of spinach was dropped by the BR, from a local farmer.

And we are enjoying the bounty of early local produce. Spinach omelets, spinach quiche, spinach risotto, spinach salad --- untouched, fresh, crisp & served with fresh strawberries (from Cal) and a bit of balsamic - one of my favorites.

Planting is starting at Brown Dog CSA this week. Samantha Janey is starting her second year in the very local business of growing for families who want field fresh produce each week of our exceptionally long growing season( 22wks). In addition to families, this year Samantha is growing for the BR. We will harvest, with her assistance & training, 4 bushels of produce each week. This is a two way commitment and we are excited with the prospect and have great plans for the produce.

Global awareness, interest, & perhaps a bit of understanding suits our human craving to know more about what's "out there'.

Local awareness, participation, encouragement to continue NJ, The Garden State is (my opinion only of course --as is the nature of blogging!) in our best interest.

FYI - Samantha will be planting a number of heirloom tomato varieties just for the BR -- so we expect to have a few surprise tastes for you as the summer progresses.