(TRENTON) – Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher today announced that the Grand Prize Winner of the 2018 #FindJerseyFresh Challenge photo contest is Amber Egorov, a food blogger and writer based in Vineland.

The grand prize for Egorov is a $500 gift card to a business that features Jersey Fresh produce. Her place of choice was ShopRite. ShopRite stores around the state source Jersey Fresh produce from local farms during the growing season.

Throughout the 2018 season, Secretary Fisher encouraged Jersey Fresh fans to submit photographs from all over New Jersey that highlighted the specific fruit or vegetable that was announced on social media each week. Each week a winner was chosen, with the weekly prize being a Jersey Fresh cutting board in the shape of New Jersey. There were more than 1,200 photos submitted in this year’s contest.

The winning photo by Egorov featured a basket of apples after a day of picking at Hill Creek Farms in Mullica Hill.

“Participating in the Find Jersey Fresh contest this year has really sparked a love of my home state and appreciation of its amazing produce,” said Egorov, who regularly posts recipes on her blog, www.theinseasonkitchen.com. “I also love to garden with my children and post what I’ve been growing in our lush soil.”

Egorov, who is a full-time teacher in Vineland, also writes for www.njspots.org, where she has interviewed local farmers and written about Jersey tomatoes, peaches, blueberries, and cranberries.

“This food adventure is hard work, but mostly a pleasure, as I thoroughly enjoy it,” Egorov said.

#FindJerseyFresh challenge participants entered the contest by sharing photos on the Jersey Fresh Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages from June 14 through November 6 with the hashtag #FindJerseyFresh. This year’s contest featured a weekly challenge to find a specific fruit or vegetable to photograph and post on social media. A new challenge was posted on the Jersey Fresh Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages each Wednesday and contestants had a full week to post their #FindJerseyFresh photos.

“We know that people in New Jersey love Jersey Fresh produce and it was truly awesome to see how many people were engaged in this year’s #FindJerseyFresh Challenge,” Secretary Fisher said. “Our farmers strive to grow the highest quality of fruit and vegetables each year and it’s wonderful to see so many people show appreciation by taking the time to be a part of this effort. We encourage everyone to visit www.findjerseyfresh.com to learn more.”

About TheInSeasonKitchen.com

www.theInSeasonKitchen.com is a one-stop-shop for local, seasonally fresh recipes. The author and cook, Amber Egorov, was born and raised in New Jersey and actively hunts down local produce to star in simple, yet delicious dishes a whole family will love.

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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 @NJDA and @JerseyFreshNJDA.