(VINELAND) – New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher and the 2016 winner of the Jersey Fresh Love social media photo contest, Ryan Briggs, owner of Outlaw’s Burger Barn and Creamery in Vineland, kicked off the 2017 #jerseyfreshlove Instagram-only photo competition today. To participate in the contest, which will last through Aug. 31, people are encouraged to post photos of favorite fruits, vegetables, markets, pick-your-own farms and agritourism activities on Instagram using the #jerseyfreshlove hashtag.

“The #jerseyfreshlove campaign was a success last year, with fans submitting thousands of photographs from all over New Jersey,” Secretary Fisher said. “We appreciate all who participated and your ongoing support of local New Jersey farmers, markets, restaurants, wineries, breweries, and products. We urge people to share their love of everything Jersey Fresh, our successful 33-year-old agricultural branding program.”

This year’s grand prize will be a choice of a Jersey Fresh Experience worth up to $500. The contest will also feature one winner each week that will receive a Jersey Fresh Prize Pack.

Last year’s winning entry from Briggs was captioned “Burgers, Jersey Fresh style!,” featuring a crab cake burger comprised of ground beef, blue crab cake, Jersey Fresh tomatoes and organic field greens, topped with sriracha lime aioli. Briggs summed the photo up with the hashtags: #burgers #surfnturf #jerseyfresh #jerseyfreshlove #farm2fork #burgerroutecontest.

“We loved being part of the contest last year and the attention it brought to our business,” Briggs said. “Using Jersey Fresh produce in our food is a natural and logical choice for us. The #jerseyfreshlove contest also allowed us an opportunity to showcase some creative offerings as well as the traditional items we have on our menu.”

Outlaw’s Burger Barn & Creamery, which opened in 2016, sources produce from Dottavio Produce, located on Main Road in Vineland. The season determines what the restaurant gets from the farm, and during the spring and summer months, 100 percent of its produce is delivered twice a week from New Jersey farms. Those deliveries include tomatoes, cucumbers, cubanelles, lettuce, mushrooms, habaneros, jalapenos, eggplant, strawberries, blueberries, nectarines and mint. They also source unique ingredients for their specials utilizing items that are different, fresh and local.

“Outlaw’s Burger Barn & Creamery’s efforts to source local, Jersey produce 100 percent of the time during the New Jersey growing season are exceptional,” Secretary Fisher said. “We know the value and quality that our farmers bring to the table, and appreciate chefs and restaurant owners that understand the importance of supporting these farmers and the state’s economy, as well as priding themselves on serving the best quality food to their customers.”

To learn more about Jersey Fresh, visit www.jerseyfresh.nj.gov or follow @JerseyFreshNJDA on Instagram.

####

 To learn more about the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NJDeptofAgriculture and www.facebook.com/JerseyFreshOfficial or Twitter @NJDA1 and @JerseyFreshNJDA.