The Garden State

This article is dedicated to the farmers throughout this nation who have experienced great loss during this pandemic.Here is an excerpt from a poem written in"Bard of Medford,”New Jersey state cannot be beatIn anything not even wheat.It really beats all creationIn variety of vegetation.We have five feet wheat and six feet rye.And corn has grown so very highThat hucksters are entertaining fear. They will not be able to reach the ears.Is there anyone in Medford who does not look forward to eating Jersey corn, tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, and cranberries? Once these fabulous fruits and vegetables were grown in Medford. Now these crops are mainly grown in Shamong, Southampton, and Tabernacle townships. Blueberries and cranberries are shipped all over the world. At one time all the lakes in Medford were cranberry bogs and Joe Hinchman employed three hundred and fifty to five hundred scoopers and packers.Also, there were a lot of strawberry patches in Medford. My great uncle Bert, who had a booming voice, would go up and down the streets of Medford yelling, “STR-A-W-BERRIES,” and the housewives would rush out with their containers. The price was a quarter for three quarts. Uncle Bert never yelled anything but “STR-A-W-BERRIES” even in the wintertime when he was huckstering other fruits and vegetables. He was quite a character but so am I. I think it runs in the family.Today, most of the farms in Medford grow soybeans and corn. Ninety percent of these crops are sent to the Purdue farm in Delaware. Mr. Purdue mixes his own chicken feed which consists of soybeans, corn, and marigolds. This feed is shipped to farmers in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia who in turn raise over a million chickens at any given time. These chickens become Purdue poultry products.Enjoy your Jersey corn and tomatoes! Edmund R. Gager and Uncle Bert Miller