Realtor's Guide to Green Living: Jersey Fresh

The hot and long days are here… longer daylight means families are in the mood to barbecue in their backyard, park or at the beach. Hot days also bring to us, fresh produce.

The State of New Jersey Agricultural Department has our very own Jersey Fresh summer promotions. Pick your own fruits, roadside markets and agri-tourism events and attractions are in every county.

I like to know where my food comes from. How about you? It is difficult to get fresh produce these days…most are from places like California or as far as Central America. By the time they arrive in our local grocery store, they could be a few weeks old.

The Community Farmers’ Market and Roadside Markets are great places to check out the seasonal fruits and vegetables in New Jersey. The Department of Agriculture has a list of fruits and vegetables with early and late harvest dates. Homegrown and fresh!

Here in Essex County we have four farms open for the community. They have available raw honey, fruits and vegetables and flowering plants from local farmers.

Agri-tourism provides an affordable way for families to explore recreational and educational activities related to farming and farmland preservation. Farmland Preservation is important for New Jersey’s economy and ensuring the continuation of the agricultural industry. You can visit Living Historical Farms in Cape May or Lambertsville, horse parks and wineries.

New Jersey has 21 wineries producing 40 different varieties of wines and some are open to the public for wine tasting and purchase. New Jersey wines have a 200 year old history. Have you heard of Gary Vaynerchuk? He is from New Jersey and is a Jets enthusiast…the guy who spit wine onto a Jets’ helmet on his online TV show on wine!

The State of New Jersey has an official Green Living website. Homeowners can take advantage of the great summer weather to plant their own food, get fresher fruits and vegetables, save money and live green.

After all, we live in The Garden State not the Empire State. There is a good reason why it is called the garden state. Start using planters and grow your own herbs like basil and thyme. Tomatoes, peppers, okra, eggplants and green beans are great summer vegetables to plant in New Jersey.

Rutgers Master Gardeners are a unique group of volunteers trained in horticulture by Rutgers Cooperative Extension personnel to provide outreach programs to home gardeners in their community. They have a garden helpline, children’s program and research work.

New Jersey residents can take advantage of their expertise on everything about gardening. They provide information on how to start a garden, how to test the soil, what and when to grow a certain plant. All information is made available on the website and if you don’t find the answers, you can call the helpline.

New Jersey is truly a state that has ample information for homeowners to live green and healthy lifestyle.

If you are considering relocating to the North East of the United States, won’t you consider New Jersey? We have the resources, the manpower, the knowledge and the infrastructure to support our 21^st century lifestyle.

For more information on Essex County and New Jersey in general, please do not hesitate to contact me at 201-618-0975.

My priorities are simple … they’re yours!