August 1st – 3rd: 19th Annual Clamfest – Enjoy free admission and free parking to the 19th annual Clamfest in Huddy Park, Highlands Park, NJ. The event includes fresh seafood, a beer and wine garden, live music and amusement rides. If you’re feeling especially ambitious, enter the all-you-can-eat clam contest or the clam shucking competition.
August 3rd & 4th: Just Peachy Festival – Terhune Orchards of Princeton, NJ will host it’s first ever peach festival from 10 AM – 5 PM on August 3rd and 4th. Both days will feature live music and tastings from many local farm to fork businesses. The festival is kid friendly, offering wagon rides, games, and barnyard fun. Best of all, you can’t miss the peaches–peach pie, peach cobbler, peaches and cream, peach salsa, and gorgeous peach themed crepes by Jammin’ Crepes. Festival is free, admission to tasting area is $5.
August 4th: A Toute Heure Canning Classes – Andrea and Jim Carbine, owners of A Toute Heure (ATH), in Cranford, will be hosting summer canning classes. The morning class will focus on fruit with an intro to preserving and jamming. The afternoon class will focus on vegetables with an intro to pickling and preserving the best local produce for canning for winter storage. Both classes will include a hands-on demo led by ATH co-owner, Andrea Carbine, as well as a jar of one item covered in class to take home. $45/person per class. Must be paid and registered prior to class. Visit atouteheure.com/events.php for more information and to download a registration form.
August 4th through 10th: Bloomfield Restaurant Week. Offering a prix fixe menu of $30 or less (not including drinks, tax and tip). This can include lunch and/or dinner.
August 5th: National Oyster Day – August 5th is National Oyster Day! Celebrate any way you like, as long as it involves oysters!
August 8th: “All Things Chocolate” Fair – The Long Beach Island Museum will host an irresistible chocolate fair this Thursday. Tickets are $10 at the door and will include demonstrations, tastings and more.
August 9th: 38th Annual Peach Festival – The Women’s Community Club of Cape May will put on their annual peach festival to raise funds for local charities. Come by the Our Lady Star of the Sea Auditorium from 9 AM – 2 PM next Friday to enjoy coffee and cake for breakfast, sandwiches at lunch, and peach themed cobblers, cakes, pies, ice cream, etc, for dessert!
August 10th: Old Fashioned Honey Harvest – Visit the Howell Living History Farm from 10 AM – 4 PM on August 10th to meet bees on their best behavior! Visitors are invited to help with the clover honey harvest, uncapping and extracting honey. Even children are welcome to help spin the honey.
August 10th – 11th: Laurita Gourmet Food Truck Invitational – Food lovers will join together next weekend at the Laurita Winery in New Egypt for the first annual Food Truck Invitational. Fourteen of Jersey’s finest food trucks will serve up global cuisine, alongside Laurita wines. Admission is just $7 per day and advance tickets may be purchased online.
August 31st: West Cape May Tomato Festival – Jersey tomatoes in every form! Tomato jewelry, tomato soup, tomato tacos. Located in Wilbraham Park from 9:00AM to 5:00PM
September 23rd: FBCC Culinary Classic – The Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties presents their 22nd Annual Culinary Classic at The Mill at Spring Lake Heights. The event will raise awareness and funds for hunger in the New Jersey community, especially with regard to the increased need post-Hurricane Sandy. Dozens of popular restaurants from the Jersey Shore will be present to offer samples of signature dishes, wine, cocktails and local craft brews. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit the event Facebook page.
October 5th & 6th: LBI Chowderfest – 2013 marks the 25th anniversary of the annual LBI Chowderfest. There will be unlimited chowder tasting, live music, a food court, a merchant market, and beautiful views of the bay! General admission tickets are $20 ($10 for kids) and may be purchased online.
