NJ Farmers' Markets, Orchards Voted Among Best in the USA

No wonder they call it the Garden State.

Last Friday, New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher recognized the West Windsor Community Farmers Market, Terhune Orchards, each in Mercer County, and Demarest Farms in Bergen County for being listed by national publications as top locations in the country for their products and experience.

West Windsor Community Farmers Market was voted the No. 4 community farmers market in the country in a national poll by The American Farmland Trust and Farmers Market Coalition. The market received the most votes for New Jersey and the Northeast. 

Travel + Leisure ranked Demarest Farms and Terhune Orchards among the top places for apple picking in the U.S. Demarest was ranked No. 7, and Terhune was ranked No. 8.

“The residents and visitors of New Jersey have known for many years about the outstanding agriculture, produce, and on-farm experiences that are available here,” Secretary Fisher said. “These award-winning operations are some of the finest examples of prominent farm-related enterprises in the Garden State.”

New Jersey has approximately 150 community farmers' markets throughout the state each year. Many of those markets remain open on a weekly basis through October, and some up to Thanksgiving. 

[Morristown, NJ has a Farmers' Market, which is currently ongoing on Sundays from 8:30 am - 1:00 pm through November 20th.]

The West Windsor market was founded in 2004, and offers seasonal produce and food from local vendors at the Princeton Junction train station from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each Saturday, until the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Demarest Farms has been in operation since 1886 and is a pick-your-own farm that offers apples, pumpkins, and peaches during the respective seasons and is in Hillsdale, about an hour outside New York City. 

Terhune Orchards is located just outside of Princeton and features dwarf apple trees accessible for all ages. Their apple varieties include Jonathan, Fuji, Empire, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Stayman Winesap, Cameo, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and Macoun varieties.

To find a pick-your-own location for the fall season, or a community farmers market near you, go to www.findjerseyfresh.com.

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, New Jersey with its almost 10,000 farms across 750,000 acres, ranks in the top 10 in the U.S. in the production of several fruits and vegetables, including blueberries, bell peppers, cranberries, eggplant, spinach, tomatoes, peaches, cucumbers, squash, and sweet corn, as well as agritourism, floriculture sales, seafood catch, and seafood landings.

Agriculture plays a significant role in maintaining a strong economy and provides numerous career opportunities including farm production; agribusiness management and marketing; agricultural research and engineering; food science, processing, and retailing; banking; education; landscape architecture; urban planning; energy; and many more.

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