Proposed Bill Would Make Tomato New Jersey State Vegetable
By Michelle Fabio
OK, let’s put aside that we all know that the tomato is technically a fruit.
As the supporter of a bill that would make the tomato the New Jersey state vegetable, Assemblyman Michael Doherty (R-Warren) says, “Most people consider the tomato to be a vegetable. I don’t think it’s a deal-buster at the end of the day.”
The bill was originally introduced in 2005 after the tomato lost out as the state’s fruit to the blueberry the year before, but died in the State Senate. Assemblyman Doherty is hopeful this time around, and indeed, Bill A353 is full of reasons why the tomato should hold a place of official honor in New Jersey, including the fact that the Garden State is among the top 10 producers of tomatoes in the country and is home to the famous Jersey and Rutgers tomatoes.
But there’s also mention of a little-known connection that New Jersey holds with the tomato—Jamesburg’s own Harrison Crosby is credited with being the first person to can tomatoes in 1847, sending off samples to Queen Victoria, President James Polk, and the editor of The New York Times.
The tomato is already the official state vegetable in Louisiana (Creole Tomato) and the official state fruit in Tennessee. Arkansas straddles the fence and calls the South Arkansas Vine Ripe Pink Tomato both its state fruit and vegetable.
Read more at: Canned tomatoes’ legacy has its roots in Jamesburg
February 27th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
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