Located 8 miles east of Trenton in Hamilton Township is the truly one of a kind Evergreen farm. Evergreen is one of only 5 farms in the U.S. that grow the gigantic, succulent and highly coveted Singo pear. The farm also grows and sells four other varieties of Asian pears, yellow peaches, persimmons, chestnuts, jujubes, Fuji apples, and organic chickens. Established in 1986 by Mr Jung Kim the 400 acre farm faced some enormous hurdles as Mr Kim adjusted his Korean agricultural techniques to the American pests and crop diseases. In Mr Kim’s own words “what you see here is attempt number 3, try one and two at this location were failures”. The way he says it you get the feeling there was not going to be a fourth try at farming in America. Mr Kim utilizes several innovative farming techniques that likely are the reason he has succeeded. The most obvious is an arch – trellis system where the pears are trained into long arched tunnels. These tunnels protect the fruit from high winds, allow more sunlight into the center of the tree making the fruit stronger and sweeter, increase crop yields, extend the trees productive life, and the trees also require less chemical applications.
There is an on site store, which is open year-round, Evergreen also supplies Asian supermarkets in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York and Boston. Be warned, the farm is closed on Saturdays! If you go, try the grapes, dry weather during the growing season intensifies the fruit’s flavor. Also keep in mind that the pears actually get sweeter as we move into November. Evergreen Farm 1023 Yardville – Allentown Road Hamilton Township, NJ 08620
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Tom Kovacevich is in the wholesale fruit and vegetable business in Philadelphia. His company, TMK Produce, distributes top quality produce to retailers and food service companies up and down the east coast. In 2008, Tom started a blog at BestFruitNow.com as a way to share his thoughts on what fruits are best each month. Geared for consumers, BestFruitNow.com also offers tips on how to select and prepare the fruits being recommended. An avid cook, gardener and all around foodie, Tom regularly travels the world meeting with growers ever learning more about his passion for fresh produce.
