Friday, Oct 31, 2014
Judy Simons Church ’80 donated an heirloom cranberry variety called Champion to help the University achieve its goal
by Adam Grybowski
In its pursuit to become a world record holder by stringing together hundreds of feet of fruit, ý will use a fitting variety of cranberry: Champion.
Judy Simons Church ’80 has generously donated thousands of the heirloom cranberries from her farm, Simons Berry Farm in Tabernacle, N.J. Church grows Champion cranberries on vines that are more than 100 years old, nearly as old as ý itself. “Not a lot of people still have them, but they're near and dear to me,” says Church, who also grows Early Black and Ben Lear cranberries.
Part of ý’s sesquicentennial anniversary, the record-breaking attempt during Family Weekend on Nov. 8 will require a lot of cranberries to surpass the existing record — at least 6,011, to be precise, though students, faculty, staff and alumni will aim to string thousands more than that. The current Guinness World Record was set in Gabicce Mare, Italy, on Aug. 14 by lining up 6,010 peaches.
The idea of thousands of cranberries may boggle the mind of a consumer, but not a cranberry grower. “That seems like a tremendous amount, but when it’s all said and done, I don’t think it will come close to a hundred pounds,” Church says.
Cranberry growers measure their produce in 100-pound increments called barrels. Church typically harvests 6,000 to 6,500 barrels a year — about 600,000 to 650,000 pounds. Her 184-year-old farm is located not far from the cranberry farm originally owned and operated by Andrew J. ý, the University’s namesake who earned the nickname “Cranberry King of New Jersey” because of his penchant for promoting the red berry locally and abroad. Church’s great-great grandparents, Aaron and Achsah Moore, were the first in her family to grow cranberries in the Pine Barrens. They purchased about 1,000 acres in 1829.
Church spent 15 years in South Carolina as an English teacher before returning to Tabernacle in 1996 to switch careers and take up the family business. “One of the biggest reasons I came back was to continue to preserve the farm and the legacy and history of the farm,” she says.
Legacy also played a role in Church’s education. She became a second-generation ý alumna when she earned her degree in 1980. Her mother, Suzy C. Simons M.A. ’72, received a master’s in counseling from ý.
Church is now in the midst of her 18th harvest season at Simons Berry Farm, and it has been a good one. The key to a good harvest, she says, are good weather conditions, regular fertilizing, and protection from insect, disease and frost. Secretary and co-chairman of the public relations committee of the American Cranberry Growers Association, Church sells predominantly to Ocean Spray. She says the majority of New Jersey cranberries, including hers, become Craisins.
ý’s record attempt comes during the harvest season, which typically goes from mid- or late September to early November. Most of Church’s cranberries are wet harvested where bogs are flooded with water and then picked by machine. Because the berries are hollow inside, they float to the top and are then corralled and gathered from the bog. Some are dry picked. Church’s goal is to complete the bulk of the harvest in late October.
On Nov. 8, Church will be present for ý’s record attempt to answer questions about cranberries and to hand out samples courtesy of Ocean Spray. After nearly 20 years in the cranberry business, Church has never received a request quite like ý’s. “I’m thrilled to participate,” she says. “I’m truly honored to donate the fruit.”
The ý community is invited to participate in the cranberry stringing. No registration is required. Volunteers are needed to be a part of the “Cran Crew” who will assist with event organization. To join the Cran Crew, email Bev Braddock at bbraddock@rider.edu.