New Jersey Outdoors; The Garden

Well. How. Many. In our modern world filled with discoveries have been progressing rapidly through scientific achievement in an age when we are fast reaching the point where we take space travel McGrattan one of man's oldest prayed. Farming is still one of the hindmost by Helene on earth that has been

developed urbanized and populated as never before. One of our most valuable assets is our farmland. Most food which we need to live still come from the soil. In New Jersey in the heart of the industrial northeast farming is one of the major industries. The soil that today's farmer plows it fills with a tractor is the same soil that was once worked by hand or by horse. It is the soil once colored by the blood of the revolution. It is the soil of medicine and mines done. It is historic soil that now feeds commuters. Scientists immigrants as a source. It is a modern wonder that here in the center of megalopolis with

soaring prices of lamb. The independence of the New Jersey farmer has withstood the demand for his land for housing development industrial expansion and recreates. But this same exploding population that wants his land for housing also demands the food that he grows and the farmers of New Jersey have an immediate market for all they produce. Today's Farmer know that the land that he kills though in that uble is his partner in feeding the hungry world. And each year when he turns his soil mad readies his fields. He is one of our most valued citizens. Nature is demanding in her laws and in her look. At it since farming is basically making use of Nature and her seasons and cycles. Farming is demanding. It's just hard

work. Some farmers hire extra hams and use machinery to help in planning. Regardless of the machines and automatic methods used to plow our own home and the land most of the garden crops of New Jersey are harvested by nad a few not all plants of a crop ripen at the same time. And there is a certain amount of tender loving care required to ensure that the fruits and vegetables reach the consumers they want condition. One of the early crops of New Jersey is asparagus plant ripening at its

own pace. Asparagus gathering his pains making it back breaking but the time and care required to pick asparagus is well worth it when you picture these tender shoots under a blanket of holidays or fresh steam and swimming in one. On a long day under a hot sun. It sometimes seems that the right buttons beers are miles apart. The man who harvest our experience and farming is their life. The last of the crop is gathered with skilled hands. Some crops ripen all at once and the work is done in the cool of early morning when the day is not yet. Field is green the air is

what the farmer is a man of few words until he talks about farming. I've been farming all my life I never worked a day off the farm. Well when I'm cutting the cabbage I don't get out there early in the morning I can get time wasting while it's nice and fresh nice and quiet around when I'm cut and I generally stay on e to do a four rows if it's got real heavy I'll stay on the roads you're going to get a crate real quick you know you're not local much that's sometimes when you don't cut so have you take four rows you have to move around so much because it is nor is Norma touring already at the same time either you're. Robot from 5:30 go their best pedo up 30 or 40 50 great whatever happens to be not sufficient for a price now Morgan cole slaw cabbage soup and

sauerkraut. These are the ingredients packed in the crates from a field of New Jersey cabbage. Cole beans Oh I've grown them lose ground in 15 years. Make my next film in a three inch pickup to get him up in the greenhouse and about the first week in well middle of May to the first week in June. You turn around I'm planning with a transplant then. Ever to get a get a manicure man I turned around. Says to take the whole I go in give him a dose of fertiliser my tractor give him a good cull of a show to get ready for the Poles and. The proposal having automatic digger and I go straight on. Usually when we think of farming we picture the woman of the house cooking

cleaning gathering eggs and raising children. But in many cases the woman is a farmer planting crops and working just as hard as any man. There is no rule in nature that says only a man can till the soil and harvest the crop. The New Jersey farmer man or woman is one who enjoys the feel of the soil and the pride of seeing things grow. The Mother and Mother Nature seemed to point the way to having women share in the work and the satisfaction of farming. Fortunately for the people of New Jersey and surrounding areas it isn't necessary to be a farmer to enjoy the experience of the harvest on many farms around the state. You can pick your own. People from cities and

suburbs can spend many pleasant and productive hours gathering the fruits of the soil. In the early seasons crops like strawberries and blueberries could be picked by the customer. Not only do people save money by digging their own but they can get in the country and enjoy the fresh air sample the ripe berries as they put it. Even though the Rye berries are a refreshing taste on a warm afternoon most pickers take home enough for Paws and jellies and the can and freeze for the months ahead. From blueberries and strawberry is peas and beans to the peaches of late summer. People can usually find a place where they can pick their own.

Under a blue sky site and the scent of fresh fruit hanging on the trees is a great experience. For many. The challenge of the right. Just out of reach. Provides great. Young and old Enjoy the fun of baking for you ripened fruit and taking home the ingredients for a cobbler's pot. Within a short drive of those New Jersey cities. People can become farmers. They pick your

old location and the joy of a basket of fresh picked fruit. More free is is worth the. Muck clan was recently at glacial lake. Which was drained by the Dutch in Eugene hundreds of dreams where my large landowners and they had. Farmed it for a while and the Dutch moved on and importing immigrants Ukraine Russia Poland. Well that country started here from. My father started as a sharecropper in this country in 1920. Life and Life in this just like any other any other part of the country. Most of farmers work together here. We have a lot of fun we have our local council societies when the season slows out we all get together. Have a few beers try to find out what it's like anybody else no one will tell the other guy his secrets.

Although farming is an old way of life. And many farms have been in the same families for years there are times when today's farmer relies on modern machinery to help make life easier during harvest time. On a 1980s onion farm the scene sometimes looks like a modern assembly plant with conveyor belts and automatic sorting and picking machines. Today there are many people to feed and large crops must be gathered and created quickly so that our markets will have the abundance we have come to expect. Some days you may want to be a farmer enjoy myself grow

and if it's a good season you're happy but if it's dry season you can get a heavy rain the stuff's rotting and you don't have the marks and move it and you look at the end of the year and you'll have enough to live on and then you start thinking What the hell are you doing in this business. Bad seasons or good as Mrs. Hubbard once said. Just the thought of growing onions isn't enough to bring a tear to your. Mostly because I have a good retail marketers reserves raise onions and another reason is because the cost is a lot cheaper and broader an easy crop to grow. The onion in the back labs of the jersey bagged and ready for market will end up in sauces and salads from New Jersey to all parts of the country. Towards the end of. The 15 years. We are

waiting longer because. I beginning to like gardening. Nice backyard. We started a. Little gardening. And. We have beautiful investable. I like doing you know gardening so marks. I. Beginning to lose interest in the longer a person. So I decided. Maybe it's time to change. When I was a. Little tot. Back in China. Most all kids support our. Right. See things grow. Especially. I have something to do with it. Is when you see it and then see it. Growing coming out. Just like you you creating something. Makes you feel. Part of. You creating.

Ours. I pick the water spending twice a week. Thursday. And Sunday. I thrive in. New York City. Trying to. Ease the day I. Start early. Father Carmen morning. Mott Street. And Chinatown in New York are well known for Chinese restaurants and markets throughout the world. It is thanks to the farmers of New Jersey that much of the fresh produce is available there. In the early morning hours of the city. Fresh Water spinach and other delicacies are delivered to the open markets. While the people who will enjoy them. Are still asleep. We start every morning about 6 o'clock we go to the field where. The corn is ripest

whatever it is whether it's butter or sugar or silver queen or. The earlier corn depending on a number of people we each take two rows per person a row on either side of the Mandans right there's left and fifty years. In a basket. Most of these boys been working for me since three or four years. They'll think I'm 30. Almost 40 bushel an hour and on a good day with a lot of corn. I wouldn't say anyone Sasson and others a lot of competition in the corn field. You get a couple of boys that are. Taken fast the other ones are going to pick that much faster to keep up. Traffic quality that's where the by hand pick it's got over machine a machine picks. Here a corn that has a slight net at the end of each year. By hand pick and you can pick. The right steers a number one years now so you can get on a truck. Or as machines can pick everything and feel that it's going to be sort of machine products faster.

Than. You know get on the one hand they can. The tender white succulents Silver Queen and juicy yellow ears of corn which goes so well with Jersey lobster and other sea foods of the season is available at roadside stands and supermarkets. During the delicious summer months of New Jersey. When I was in the yard here I used to visit my grandfather quite often when he grew old and Spanish peanut and I got an idea of going to Oak Ridge from here to find our move to New Jersey when I was no 10 acre proud again. And I cleared it a few couple acres of it and I found it. Oak Creek. Is really the best crop that I could raise and without a whole lot of arrogation or whatnot. And after you'd get up a few inches high you've got it made that sound. It will continue to grow and it will start blooming in and put no no

and I will keep putting it on until it froze. I'm less you get off on heightened crap. There's just a challenge to strong meat because you put in a little playing. You plant that little seed. And there's something at that that. When you see it to make sure and produce a flower. Or a thing. Then I. Feel this way. When you're growing something. You're doing. It. You're working with God's creations. That's the way I feel. And that's one reason I really enjoy balance things. Whether it's flowers. Or the plants. I enjoy. Each individual who contributes to New Jersey being called the Garden State. Has his or her own reason for being a farmer. The work is hard.

The hours are long and the rewards are not measured in dollars and cents. I've always thought that I had the option of paying more and hiring less how but I feel that more people that I can involve in this operation the better it makes me feel. And when you're out here. Doing the job like farming and you're really doing some of the hardest physical things you're probably ever do in your life and if you can make it a little bit easier for somebody else and you start and people start doing that back and forth you end up going down. And you get some rewards from it everybody gets it on an individual board and it's a lot more than just going out and taking something. This is the whole theory of work the work that. We forget always called. Star a lot of people go a whole lot of cars you don't have your through the hub of the earth over above.

There's no noise for us. And we're inside one night watching this or. That was it. Landscaping on the census Beisel. It's my dream to own my own form hopefully by working where they're done it's a bunch of stuff. It's not just a job but it's a way of life. For me it's something I enjoy doing and I enjoy being outside and gone through what I most happy. Yeah I have bad days and good day. With any thing. Called days and rainy days. But overall he still it's the most enjoyable thing I've done. How rough rushing so I thought an early morning drive to the farmland is the bright

spring green of a field of lettuce for the passer by. It is fresh and colorful but for the farmer. It looks like work. Or labor for the lettuce comes from Florida. It's generally Mexican labor but there are some Filipinos that come up for the lightest harvest. They're generally skilled laborers. They're very profession I'm. Doing this job of harvesting taking care of lettuce where before we could one one man could pack maybe 50 boxes. Twenty years ago now one man could probably pack. 150 bucks in a day. This fall has been excellent in that it's growing weather because we've had a cool fall. And how we haven't had a lot of rain. And we can keep conditions in the field at a optimum point for lettuce production.

So when it came time to harvest we have we're harvesting probably 95 percent. Of the lettuce in and wants over the field. A good growing season with a great crop of lettuce picked by experts from Mexico in the Philippines on the New Jersey farm will soon be tossed in the kitchens of homes and restaurants by amateurs work great. Not far from the spray of the ocean is one of New Jersey's most famous all crops cranberry silent bogs of summer are now flooded read with the fruits for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I think emotion had a science saying a. Goose in cranberry or the same as with any other crop. Instead of getting a mortgage crop and a good quality crop. Seem to fear. The effort should be put forth through

long here for. Home worthwhile. Bush would like to make a profit on. True but I. I think are really more satisfaction in producing a crop and. Unnecessarily making a lot of money if it's going to keep your head above water. Another fall crops which leads to fresh pods in the kitchen. Warm dumplings and turnovers is Apples skilled hands of trained pickers gather the many varieties of New Jersey apples Macintosh Jonathan delicious. Portland. And others. Although many of these apples will find their way into lunch boxes and pies many will be used to make that delicious cider that goes with ghosts and goblins and donuts. Chilly October night.

The cider is in order for it to be good we blend probably 5 Roddy's of apples and each squeeze their ground up together. This helps to make it a better juice with better body your blend in different flavored apples. Is really the key to making a good sailor. Early in the season. Natchitoches are the first apples harvested in a good portion of the apples gone in the site or a Macintosh as we go later in the season we blend in Red Delicious Stayman wine saps Jonathans. Courtland's rolls whatever is available. The Very Best Blend we feel is about one third Macintosh. One third Stayman wines sap and one third Red Delicious. Regardless of the blend of apples you New Jersey cider lovers look forward to that time of year when they can pick up a jug of fresh cider that a cider mill or a roadside marker.

The majority I guess even ninety nine hundred ninety nine ninety percent of my stuff goes to the. Hightstown. Tri County co-op auction market. I've been going there since 1934. I usually leave to go to market around 11 5 after 11 I'm up there buying parts only 8 miles short Could you sit around or walk around and see what's going on. Talk to you at a pharmacy. 11:38 draw numbers so to get in line to auction your stuff or. Whatever number get your That's where you get mine. The auctioneer starts auction this stuff for. 12 you know. Are the products of New Jersey farms are sold in many ways that

highways of back roads are dotted with stands where fresh produce is available. Many times the crops are sold at auction and our merchants buy in quantity for retail in supermarkets and corner grocery have all in all. There is always a market for the fresh fruits and vegetables of the gardens Dick said they get. Here and I thought I'm going to have to have his management do yeah take that out of it I thought I had had it. It is the people the men and women of New Jersey in the 1980s who provide the dedication desire and hard work to make sure that our tables are filled and that the children of today and tomorrow will not go home. America is used to an abundance of food and it is the farmers in the Garden State who are dedicated to making sure that this will be true in the years ahead.