Iconic Jersey tomatoes

We grow the best tomatoes here in Jersey.

So here’s an American Folklife and Foodway project with current intentions that documents and showcases the Jersey tomato as an intersection of Jersey history and culture.

Listen to my Story Corps interview about this project.

Jersey has a deep and fascinating history with seeds and tomato breeding.  It’s through the lens of the Jersey tomato seeds that I found this story that was just waiting to be told. 

Tomato seeds from the local seed and canning industry ensured that every year there the story of the seed, farmer, canner or backyard gardener would continue. Seeds bred to thrive in the local soil, produce an abundant harvest for commerce and food security, and to taste so darn good because  they were either being canned on the farm, or in Campbell’s case, within a fifty mile or so radius. 

Without the seeds, this wouldn’t have happened. That applies to all seeds, and here in Jersey our tomatoes were bred with the bold, passionate and unapologetic Jersey sensibility that’s the Jersey in us all.

This project continues that history with modern intentions adapted to the local communities and landscapes we live in today.

These local communities across Jersey unite under the banner of Jersey. At the county level, tomatoes from Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester have been secured. In 2023, we’re working with tomatoes from Middlesex, Ocean and Salem counties. This broad swath on the Jersey map unites local history within. 

 A project from originated by Jeff Quattrone, Founder of Library Seed Bank, and moved forward with community partners.

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