The Garden State is in full bloom and we’re going to get in every bite we can here on Jersey Bites. My tomato plants are coming along nicely, cucumbers are crazy and my herbs are happy as hell; but there’s only so much my tiny Jersey Shore garden can grow. Enter, our beloved Farmers’ Markets. We’ll be bringing you all of Jersey’s homegrown goodness this month. In addition to Sheila Hill’s coverage of the Red Bank Farmers’ Market and Vikki Hurley Schubert’s recent visit to the Princeton Farmers’ Market, we’ll be doing another compilation piece showcasing our Editors’ favorite Markets throughout the state. (If you missed last month’s Ice Cream compilation piece, check it out here.) We’ll also be featuring some seasonal recipes and suggestions on how to prepare this month’s crop. I’m really looking forward to hearing about all the farmers’ markets and artisanal delicacies our Editors uncover this month. If you would like some help in locating a Farmers’ Market in your area, here’s a great website just for you.
More cool stories in the works: Peter Culos, our Beer Bites editor, will be whipping up some home brewed beer at The Brewer’s Apprentice in Freehold and Ocean County Editor, John Howard Fusco, will be hitching a ride with one of New Jersey’s resident Food Trucks for his “Day in the Life” of a Food Trucker story.
We are also thrilled to introduce three new contributors this month, which brings us to just one shy of 30 “team members.” Wow. Our little family is certainly growing.
Nick a.k.a., New Jersey Nick is a self-proclaimed Burger Expert who forgoes fancy restaurants to get a taste of all the “good food that’s bad for you” from New Jersey’s Diners and Burger Joints. Nick’s first and very extensive review of the Hibernia Diner in Rockaway is coming up this week. We’ll also be hearing about his visit to a taping of Kitchen Nightmares last night that was his first assignment for Jersey Bites. If that’s not enough right now, you can get even more of New Jersey Nick on his blog.
Our new recipe contributor, LauriLee, is coming on board to share her healthy, seasonal recipes (to help balance out Nick’s tempting burger tales). LauriLee is a personal chef and cooking instructor who has been passionate about food her whole life. Her recipes are based on fruits, vegetables, herbs, vinegars, various healthy oils, citrus , seafood and organic chicken and turkey. She’s off to the Ramsey farmers market today, so we’ll be expecting some delicious results from her day’s adventure . To learn more about LauriLee’s cooking classes and personal chef service, visit her website at LauriLeesHealthyCooking.net.
Kathryn Blaze will be joining the Middlesex County team as a Regional Editor. Born and bred in the Garden State, Kathryn spends a good amount of time (and quite a lot of her income) hunting for the best eats. She has been hunting for The Ultimate Almond Danish ever since Whitehouse Station’s The Cake Box bakery closed almost a decade ago. She also has an unnatural appetite for ice cream, and has been known to seek out milkshakes in the midst of snow storms. We look forward to what she’s able to uncover for us in Middlesex County. Kathyrn also blogs about her culinary adventures at jerseypiglet.blogspot.com.
As the Jersey Bites team of contributors grows, so will the frequency of posts. If you subscribe via email to Jersey Bites and find that you are getting too many updates in your inbox, you should know that there are other subscription options. Did you know that you can subscribe just to our Recipes section? If you just want to receive restaurant reviews via email, subscribe here. Look for the box on the right below the ads that says “Get Your Bites Via Email.” Or, if you are interested in just getting news that pertains to your county, you can subscribe on that county’s page. Just click on the linked county in the Left column and subscribe to that page’s updates. We’d hate to lose you as a subscriber just as things are really getting good. We’ve got big plans for Jersey Bites and we want to make sure you are part of all the fun.
Have a wonderful rest of your holiday weekend and a very Happy 4th of July. I have a burning desire to spend the rest of the day in the kitchen.
And, remember we are chatting it up on Facebook and Twitter too, so if you want to meet other NJ Foodies and share your tips and opinions, join us there.
Deborah Smith , Founder and Executive Editor of JerseyBites.com. Launched in 2007 as a home for her growing collection of recipes, Jersey Bites soon grew into a hub for all things edible in the Garden State. Deborah is also the owner ofParents With Nannies, Inc. which operates a network of nanny employment websites established in 1999. In her spare time, (Ha) she works as a Social Media consultant and speaker. You can learn more about her services and marketing through social media on her blogwww.DeborahLSmith.com
