I’m a suburban gardener with a modest proposal on behalf of the eggplant (or, if you prefer, the aubergine). With apologies to the tomato, I propose we name the eggplant the state vegetable of New Jersey.
Hear me out!
New Jersey grows more than 26 million pounds of eggplant every year—more than any other state. Unlike the tomato, which is New Jersey’s current state “vegetable,” the eggplant is actually a vegetable. And New Jersey soil composition is exactly right for eggplant cultivation.
I discovered this and more at the New Jersey Agricultural Convention and Trade Show in Atlantic City earlier this year, when I joined more than 500 farmers and agricultural representatives to learn about everything from soil nutrition to greenhouse and wind tunnel farming.
In a convention hall filled with farmers, tractors and model drones, I had my photo taken atop a big green tractor, learned about the state’s growing wine industry, and tasted the best of what local winemakers are producing.
I met entrepreneur Carmen Guzman-Francesco, who makes small-batch, boutique hot sauces sourced from New Jersey pepper farms, and was inspired by the New Jersey Agricultural Society’s Farmers Against Hunger program, which provides rescued produce to underserved populations.
I learned that the average age of a New Jersey farmer is 65, that many farmers find it unreasonably challenging to become organic certified in New Jersey, and that of the 10,000 farms in the Garden State, most earn less than $10,000 annually.
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I also learned there’s a business that matches famers who have manure with farmers who need it—just like a dating service, the representative told me.
But back to the eggplant.
On Long Island, where I grew up, my father’s backyard garden yielded more eggplant, pepper and zucchini than we ever managed to stew, sauté, stuff or parmigiana in a single summer.
Now, every year, my husband and I grow several varieties of eggplant in our backyard garden in Montclair. We serve them Italian, parmigiana, Asian, grilled and barbecued—also fried, mashed, sautéed and especially, stewed with tomatoes and olives in Nana’s famous tapenade recipe.
Eggplant varieties are more popular than ever; a trip to any local farmers market will prove it.
Still, I was surprised when Newell Thompson, executive director of the New Jersey Agricultural Society, told me that while our state produces millions of pounds of cranberries and blueberries each year, our 26 million pounds of eggplant put us ahead of all other states.
“There’s a reason it’s called the Garden State,” Nick Benedetto of Giamarese’s Farm told me at the convention. “People forget.”
Apparently, some people also forget that the eggplant is Jersey’s most important vegetable. So let’s hear it for the eggplant. Jersey may grow more berries than aubergines, but it’s the eggplant that puts us at the top of the national agricultural map!
Laurie Lico Albanese is a New Jersey-based novelist who makes a mean eggplant parmigiana.
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