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In reply to the discussion: What food/foods is/are your area best know for? My area isknown for pierogi, Haluski and Islay's chipped chopped ham [View all]Wicked Blue
(6,463 posts)Best pizza in the world. Fabulous Italian food. Pepper and egg sandwiches made in heaven. Real fennel taralli. Bread and rolls with perfect crisp crusts.
And you're absolutely right about the tomatoes and fruit. Rutgers, Brandywine and beefsteak tomatoes from farm stands, Silver Queen corn.
In elementary school we were taught that the term Garden State came from the numerous "truck gardens" that supplied NYC with fresh produce.
Truck or market gardening involves raising vegetables, fruits, and flowers on small plots of land. The produce is picked and delivered by small truck or, in the past, horse-drawn carts, to city markets.
When I was growing up in northern NJ in the 1950e and 60s, our area still had dairy, poultry and strawberry farms. Some of our neighbors kept chickens. All are long gone, replaced by suburban commuter developments.