newjerseynewsroom.com

BY ERIC MODEL

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

JOURNEYS INTO NEW JERSEY

It's so present on a daily basis — right there on our license plates and on our road signs: The words "Garden State." We seem to take our state slogan for granted. Also, to some it sounds so absurdly out of place that it does not to even deserve to be considered even for a moment.

But in this time of harvest bounty as we point towards Thanksgiving, let's suspend our cynicism for a moment to consider our official state nickname and what it's about.

Why don't way start by getting the jokes out of the way first.

Anyone from New Jersey is well aware of the derisive remarks about our state's nickname. "The Garden State." It's sort of like lawyer jokes.

Yes, it's true we don't have the farm land or green space we used to (though we are starting to be more mindful about the ills of sprawl).

But let's look at some impressive statistics.

For example, New Jersey ranks in the top ten of all states in producing blueberries (2nd), nursery plants (2nd), cranberries, peaches, asparagus, bell peppers, spinach, lettuce, sweet corn, tomatoes and cucumbers. And did you realize that New Jersey farm land ranks first or second in value per acre in the country?

The agricultural industry is reportedly generates $1 billion in annual revenue.

There are sill a million acres of farm land gracing our state and for good measure you can add to the mix New Jersey's many decorative garden estates and grounds.

But the landscape of Jersey has changed and many call for a more appropriate nickname for our state. Though none in particular appeals to me, some suggestions include: "The Soprano State" — "The Springsteen State" — "Cradle of Baseball" — "Frank Sinatra's Home" — "The Shopping Mall State" — "The Jersey Shore State."

But let's get down to the nitty-gritty and look into our state's nickname and how it originated.

Looking to our state government for answers (in particular its website), I found no definitive explanation for New Jersey's nickname of The Garden State.

According to Robert Lupp of the New Jersey State Library, the slogan is to be found on our license plates as the result of L.1954, c. 221; NJSA 39:3-33.2.

At that time, 1994, the state legislature passed a bill to have "The Garden State" added to license plates. Before signing the bill into law, Governor Robert Meyner investigated the origins of the nickname and found "no official recognition of the slogan Garden State as an identification of the state of New Jersey," wrote Lupp in 1994.

Lupp quotes Meyner as stating, "I do not believe that the average citizen of New Jersey regards his state as more peculiarly identifiable with gardening for farming than any of its other industries or occupations." Governor Meyner vetoed the bill, but the legislature overrode the veto. The slogan was added to license plates soon after.

Abraham Browning of Camden is given credit for giving New Jersey the nickname the Garden State. According to Alfred Heston's 1926 two-volume book Jersey Wagon Jaunts, Browning called New Jersey the Garden State while speaking at the Philadelphia Centennial exhibition on New Jersey Day (August 24, 1876).

Browning said that our Garden State is an immense barrel, filled with good things to eat and open at both ends, with Pennsylvanians grabbing from one end and New Yorkers from the other. The name stuck ever since.

However, Benjamin Franklin is credited with a similar comparison of New Jersey to a barrel tapped at both ends. Some have used that to discredit Browning with naming the Garden State.

No matter who coined the term, what's the status of this barrel these days? And as we start to think about Thanksgiving, what about Thanksgiving and the Garden State?

The answers might surprise you.

For instance, bet you didn't realize that our state ranks third in cranberry production, behind only Wisconsin and Massachusetts. The American Cranberry is native to all of the northern United States but has thrived particularly well in New Jersey, where it was first cultivated in 1835. In fact, it is universally recognized and generally accepted that cranberries are well-suited to the acidic, extremely damp soil of New Jersey's bogs, where the plants can grow up to four feet tall and yield berries 3/4 to 1" round. And this year's cranberry harvest was especially bountiful after the cool and moist weather of this past summer.

As for the turkey, while New Jersey is not noted for having the land mass to attract the large commercial farms, it is known for a number of small, family farmers who these days claim to sustain a profitable income with organic produce, meats and poultry, purchased in the community by local consumers.

One such business is the Griggstown Quail Farm and Market of Princeton. It has over 75 acres of land and raises over 35,000 pheasants, 70,000 quail, 150,000 chickens and, when in season, Mallard and Muscovy ducks, both white and red bourbon turkeys, and partridge. All the birds are free-range and all natural. They have a retail market and accept orders over their web site.

However, despite all the positives mentioned above, given our present day reputation (Turnpike, pollution, and urban density) and our fiscal challenges, it's still understandable why one might be at least a bit dubious about this whole Garden State thing.

Like it or not; accurate or not — Garden State it is and Garden State it shall remain.

So, enjoy your local turkey and cranberries and be thankful.

For more, check out Hangout NJ, the state Web site for kids, provides the cartoon history of New Jersey, NJ facts and symbols, games, information about state history, government, travel, and more.

Eric Model explores the "offbeat, off the beaten path overlooked and forgotten" on SIRIUS-XM Radio and at www.journeysinto.com.

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