New Jersey State Fruit?

Well, believe it or not, New Jersey has a state animal, which is a horse. It also has a state insect, which is a bee. But there is a controversy over what should be the state fruit. The assembly voted on that matter today.

When asked what they thought the state fruit was, here is what some South Jersey residents said, “I thought it was tomatoes.” “Peaches” and “I don't know. Orange.”

You would think NJ already had an official state fruit. But the fact of the matter is, it doesn’t. Now, the blueberry may be the official state fruit. It was unanimously approved as such in the state assembly. New Jersey is second to Michigan in blueberry production, a cash crop worth $47 million to the Garden State, and researchers thinks it helps fight some cancers, urinary tract infections, and enhances memory.

But don't jump on the bandwagon just yet because there is another garden state crop that captured the fruit fancy. Many think the tomato is a vegetable, but a fruit is an organ with seeds on the inside, so the tomato is a fruit. While the blueberry may have the approval of the state assembly as the official garden state fruit, the tomato has the approval of the public.

When asked, “If you had your druthers, which would you vote for?”, Jersey residents said “Tomato. I love them.”

“I think it should be the tomato. Jersey tomato. They are the best”

“Jersey tomatoes sounds natural instead of Jersey blueberries.”

The assembly voted 79-0 for the blueberries. The tomato was entered by a guy from Gloucester County and never made it out of committee. Now the senate has to approve it and the governor has to sign off on it. Like it or not, blue berries may be the things that we call the official fruit of the Garden State.

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