Agriculture Secretary Charles M. Kuperus today announced that Jersey Fresh tomatoes and sweet corn grown by the Garden State’s hard-working farmers will be available for the 4th of July weekend at most community farmers markets and farm stands in time for the holiday weekend.

Lack of early frost, cooler than normal May temperatures and cool nights had corn and tomato crops off to a slow start, but warmer June nights helped put the crops back on track and the crop is harvesting at the normal time.

Sweet corn is set to begin harvesting this week with good quality and will be available in light to fair quantities for July 4th. It will be available throughout the summer and into September. Harvesting of tomatoes has been in light quantities last week and volume is expected to increase early next week with availability through early October.

“There is nothing better than Jersey Fresh tomatoes and sweet corn,” Secretary Kuperus said. “When shopping for the holiday weekend, take notice of the Jersey Fresh logo to be sure that you are buying the high quality, fresh, great tasting sweet corn and tomatoes.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has listed Jersey Fresh tomatoes as safe for consumption.

Tomatoes are ready to eat when they are slightly soft. An extremely firm tomato is not yet fully ripe, even though it may be completely red. Never refrigerate Jersey tomatoes. This destroys the natural, vine-ripened taste. Avoid placing them on windowsills, which are usually too hot. Store tomatoes at room temperature in a cool dark place. A sliced tomato loses its vine-ripened flavor quickly so choose tomatoes that are small enough to consume in one meal.

When choosing corn, look for ears with bright green, snugly fitting husks, and golden brown silk. Inside, the kernels should come all the way to the ear’s tip, with tightly spaced rows, and appear plump and milky. If pricked, a kernel should spurt milky white juice. Choose ears with medium-sized kernels. Very small kernels are immature, and large kernels could have a starchy taste.

For best flavor, eat sweet corn as soon as possible. Leaving husks on when storing corn helps preserves the flavor. At room temperature, the glucose in corn will convert to starch in as little as 24 hours, so refrigeration is critical for maintaining freshness. Corn absorbs odors from foods such as green onions, so avoid storing with other produce. Keep unshucked fresh corn in the refrigerator until ready to use, wrapped in damp paper towels and placed in a plastic bag. Refrigerate for no more than three days.

To prepare corn, husk and wash it, fill a pot three-quarters full with water, boil the water, add the corn and cook for about 5 minutes or to taste.

Jersey Tomato Varieties

Jersey tomatoes are a portfolio of varieties that do well under our climatic conditions in a different range of soils and ripening at different times of the season. Two popular Jersey tomato varieties, Ramapo and Rutgers tomatoes were developed at Rutgers NJAES. Read about how our project brought back both the Ramapo and Moreton tomatoes (an early season favorite developed by Harris Seeds) which had disappeared from the market.

Few foods muster as much discrimination in the American palate as the tomato. Bland tasting tomatoes have become such a mainstream commodity that they are universally referred to as "cardboard" or "plastic" tomatoes. On the other end of that spectrum, the one held in highest regard for its epic taste, has been the Jersey Tomato.

Jersey Sweet Corn & Tomato Salsa

by Chef Mark Valenza, Triumph Brewery Co.

• 6 ears Jersey sweet corn (don't cook, just cut corn off cob)
• 6 Jersey tomatoes, diced
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• 2 Jersey green Bell peppers, diced
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 red onions, diced
• ½ cup lime or lemon juice
• 4 celery ribs, diced
• 1 Tbs cumin
• ½ cup parsley, chopped
• Salt & pepper to taste

Mix everything in bowl (preferably glass or ceramic) and refrigerate one hour. Great as an accompaniment with fish, meat, pork or chips.