Community Corner

Second-Chance Salsa Debuts at Peach Party Saturday

After that, you can support the Food Bank of South Jersey by buying it in stores.

Bruised, kicked and —even if it wasn't from New Jersey, the story of the local peach wouldn't be out of place in a Bruce Springsteen lyric.

Instead, however, the fruit is finding a second act on local supermarket shelves, in salsa form, starting Monday, Aug. 6.

The reclamation project is the result of a partnership among the Food Bank of South Jersey (FBSJ), Campbell’s Soup and six local peach farms in South Jersey.

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Farms like Summit City in Glassboro throw away hundreds of pounds of peaches per year, simply because they are too small or too ugly to sell in local supermarkets.

“There are almost a million good peaches that are not quite good enough for retail supermarkets, but they taste great,” said FBSJ CEO Val Traore in a press release. “We have decided to turn them into a stable shelf product.”   

Find out what's happening in Moorestownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Traore estimates that each participating farm will save an average of $85,000 in dumping fees. 

Using the unwanted peaches, FBSJ created a one-of-a-kind peach salsa, made completely from Jersey peaches. Campbell’s Soup volunteered to cover the manufacturing expenses. 

The product should reach area supermarkets by Monday; until then, patrons can purchase the salsa from FBSJ for $2.99. That special introductory price will continue throughout Saturday, where the salsa will make its first public appearance at the at the . 

Guests will enjoy peach creations from some of South Jersey’s most successful chefs, such as Chef Mark Smith from or Chef Jim Malaby from Blueplate Diner.

All proceeds from the Just Peachy Peach Party benefit the Food Bank of South Jersey; individual sales of the Just Peachy Salsa also benefit the organization.


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