New Jersey State Fruit

[Holly Moore]

Saw in the Philadelphia Inquirer that New Jersey now has an official state fruit - the blueberry.

I'd credit Maine with the blueberry. For Jersey, the cranberry. Even better, by strict definition, the Jersey Tomato. Make that the the pre-corporate Jersey Tomato of yesteryear, or as is still found at some local roadside stands.

[Katherine]

Cultivated blueberries strikes me as what NJ is famous for.

[tommy]

info here.

i've lived in NJ all of my life, and i don't recall ever seeing a blueberry. i've seen a lot of corn. is corn an official anything of NJ?

[Holly Moore]

Plenty of big ol' blueberries in season at farm stands in South Jersey. But though big and plump, nowhere near the flavor of a Maine Blueberry.

Wonder what would qualify as the Pennsylvania State Fruit?

[Pan]

When I think "cranberries," I think "Massachusetts," for whatever that's worth.

[menton1]

Yes, plenty of blueberry farmers down in South Jersey... I think the most of any state-- NJ is just another of a long list of states that gorw corn--

I remember being able to go into the woods as a kid and pick wild blueberries. Although smaller, they had much, much more intense flavor--

Are wild blueberries available anywhere these days? (In late summer, of course!)

[ludja]

When I think "cranberries," I think "Massachusetts," for whatever that's worth.

As a New Englander, definately think MA for cranberries; found out though from a WI friend that they grow lots of cranberries there also--on the edges of Lake Michigan I think; up north!

[jo-mel]

I'm with the 'cranberries/ Massachusetts' and

blueberries/Maine' group.

I'm not just loyal to my New England birth, (married to NJ) but NOTHING compares to a Maine blueberry, in flavor or texture. The cultivated ones don't even come close. It is like the difference between a hot-house and a garden-picked tomato.

[menton1]

NOTHING compares to a Maine blueberry, in flavor or texture. The cultivated ones don't even come close. 

Do you mean that Maine blueberries are wild, picked randomly in the woods?

[Andrew Fenton]

I've picked blueberries in NJ, and they were fine. But I agree that they strike me as a Maine thing. Cranberries? I didn't even know that they grow in Jersey; Massachusetts or Oregon, maybe...

Tomatoes, sure. Or peaches: I'll take a fresh Jersey peach over one from Georgia, any day.

[Kim WB]

I'm pretty sure that NJ is the number one producer of Cranberries..you can see all the bogs when you travel down 206, thorough that little pretty town, Hammonton, that leads to the AC expressway. Blueberries? I don't know nothin bout no stinkin blueberries!

[theclash]

I'm pretty sure that NJ is the number one producer of Cranberries..you can see all the bogs when you travel down 206, thorough that little pretty town, Hammonton, that leads to the AC expressway. Blueberries?  I don't know nothin bout no stinkin blueberries!

would you have guessed Wisconsin

[Andrew Fenton]

would you have guessed Wisconsin

But thei state fruit is still Cheddar, right?

[KatieLoeb]

Wonder what would qualify as the Pennsylvania State Fruit?

I nominate the North Star Farms asian pears from Chester County! Man those suckers are good...

If not, I'm totally with Holly on the tomato thing. I love Jersey tomatoes. The bigger, lumpier and uglier the better!

[Holly Moore]

If not, I'm totally with Holly on the tomato thing. I love Jersey tomatoes. The bigger, lumpier and uglier the better!

You talking about me or the tomatoes?

[KatieLoeb]

If not, I'm totally with Holly on the tomato thing.  I love Jersey tomatoes.  The bigger, lumpier and uglier the better!

You talking about me or the tomatoes?

Holly! How could you think such a thing of little 'ol me?? When I insult folks it's much more direct and far less passive-aggressive...

[rlibkind]

The great song-writing team of Howard Dietz and Athur Schwarz (Dancing in the Dark, among other memorable tunes) commemorated New Jersey's blueberries in "Rhode Island Is Famous For You". The song is essentially a list of the then-extant 48 states and what each is famous for. Specifically,

"New Jersey gives us blue"

Among the more memorable lines of the lyric:

Pencils come from Pennsylvania

Vests from West Virginia

And tents from Tent-a-see

They know mink where they grow mink in Wyomink

And minnows come from Minnesota,

etc., etc., etc.

Blossom Dearie does a great version of the song.

Now, as for Holly's statement about the superiority of Maine blueberries...

Whenever I'm in Maine in August, I devour them. And here in Phiiladelphia I buy the frozen berries at Whole Foods (well, they're really Canadian berries, but the same variety as is grown in Maine's blueberry barrens) for adding to my morning yogurt. They are the best possible blueberry for pies and tarts and other baking purposes.

But I wouldn't automatically rank them ahead of New Jersey's berries. While the Jersey blue's flavor is not as intense as the Maine berries, I find they are a superior berry for eating fresh out of hand or as an addition to cereal. The taste is a slightly different, but every bit as good.

Someone else remarked they thought NJ was the state with the biggest blueberry crop. For highbush berries (they type New Jersey grows), Michigan is the leader, with almost twice the tonnage as No. 2 New Jersey. Maine leads among the states in lowbush berries (commonly referred to as the "wild" berry).

[rlibkind]

The Pennsylvania state fruit has got to be the domestic white mushroom. The part you eat is called a fruiting body, after all.

[jo-mel]

NOTHING compares to a Maine blueberry, in flavor or texture. The cultivated ones don't even come close. 

Do you mean that Maine blueberries are wild, picked randomly in the woods?

In the woods and -- my favorite places -- the islands off the coast. Small craggy bushes with beautiful pure blueberries.

I never thought to check Whole Foods for the 'wild' berries. I was able to get them at a large Shop Rite. Those small ones are great for pies, sauces, and muffins.

Since blueberries are supposed to be the best fruit as far as bolstering your immune system, I guess it doesn't matter which blueberry it is. I'll eat whatever blueberry is in front of me, or whatever I can reach for.

[slbunge]

When I think "cranberries," I think "Massachusetts," for whatever that's worth.

As a New Englander, definately think MA for cranberries; found out though from a WI friend that they grow lots of cranberries there also--on the edges of Lake Michigan I think; up north!

Slight correction: cranberry country in Wisconsin is in about the center of the state where the soil is sandy and there is plenty of available below-ground water to pump in and flood the fields during harvest.

Now, back to the discussion about New Jersey...

Edited January 15, 2004 by slbunge (log)

[rockhopper]

Wasn't the reason they chose the blueberry is that it was first cultivated in NJ since other states produce a greater quantity?

[spikemom]

Holly, Pennsylvania doesn't have a state fruit. But it has a state fish (the brook trout), a state bird (the ruffed grouse), a state mammal (the white-tailed deer) and a state beverage (milk). I'd nominate the apple--I've had some terrific Pennsylvania apples.