Every summer New Jerseyans eagerly await tomato season, maybe to make a classic tomato sandwich or just enjoy fresh with salt and pepper. However, many do not know the rich agricultural history of how this famous tomato came to be. Below we have found some great resources for you on the history of the NJ tomato starting in the early 1800’s, and how it evolved both commercially and agriculturally. And if you want a fun conversation starter, a tomato is categorized as a fruit, but is considered the state vegetable of New Jersey!
 Illustration by John R. Holmes | This article breaks down the history of the classic Jersey tomato into a timeline, spanning from 1812 to 2016. It starts with John Loper, who planted the first commercial tomato farm in the Northeast. Fun fact: Taking inspiration from NYC’s “Big Apple” slogan, Gov. Brendan Byrne approves a New Jersey tomato embroidery for recognition. Read more |
 Campbell’s soil lab and greenhouse in Riverton, New Jersey in the 1950s. Campbell Soup Company | There is so much more to the iconic Campbell’s Tomato Soup cans than you may expect. In 1910, Campbell’s launched a tomato breeding program in order to get the ideal variety for taste, production, and disease resistance. Read more to find out how Campbell’s made New Jersey nationally recognized for tomato production and how their famous tomato soup came to be. Fun fact: up until the mid-1800’s many feared the tomato as it was thought to be poisonous, and it was coined the “poisonous apple”. Read more |
 Breeder of the ‘Rutgers’ tomato Lyman Schermerhorn (left) in a field of tomatoes (circa 1930s). | Dive deeper into the history and science behind the breeding of the Rutgers tomato, and how the modern NJ tomato came to be. This article explores the work done at the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and the work done with Campbell’s to create the optimal commercial tomato. Fun fact: By 1952, the Rutgers Tomato represented 72% of all commercially grown tomatoes in the US, and was also commonly grown in other countries. Read more |
 | Looking to grow some tomatoes of your own? Library Seed Bank breaks down countless varieties of tomatoes, their characteristics, and provides a seed source! Happy gardening! Read more |