New Jersey peach producers usually throw away about a million cosmetically-challenged (blemished) peaches every year. This year, they’ve decided to do something about it.
Eastern ProPak, a N.J. growers collective, has teamed up with the Food Bank of South Jersey and Campbell’s Soup to create a peach salsa from unsellable fruit. The result is Just Peachy Salsa.
Salsa sales–$3 a jar at the Food Bank’s site and local stores–could net the non-profit about $150,000. That wouldn’t be a bad yield from 25,000 imperfect peaches.
Much of the credit should go to Campbell’s, who are facilitated the operation:
Campbell’s is donating the equipment, the materials and the other ingredients for the salsa — crushed tomatoes, jalapenos, onions, cilantro and garlic. Campbell’s employees are donating their time.
At the end of the day (or harvest season), there ain’t much better than making useful products out of potential waste, as Bi-Rite Market and Larry Bain are doing in San Francisco. One thing that is even better: having the product fight hunger!
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