Top Tomato Weighs Over 2 Pounds

Several Somerset County employees put their green thumbs to good use and donated their first Tomato Grow Off harvest to a local nonprofit organization.

Scott Gordon of the county’s Engineering Division was named the winner of the employee competition with a garden tomato weighing 2.325 pounds.

County employees were invited to participate in the Tomato Grow Off sponsored by the in-house Wellness Committee.  To be eligible, employees registered in early June and had the choice of growing a regular garden tomato or a container tomato.

Originally there were 12 registrants, but due to reasons ranging from critter interference to family members eating impossible-to-resist tomatoes, the final contest was a laid-back competition among six employees.

The official weigh-in was performed by Dave Dombey of the Weights and Measures Division on a state-certified scale.  The final results were:

·        Scott Gordon of Pittstown, Engineering Division - 2.325 pounds

·        Chris Melick of Hillsborough, Engineering Division - 1.040 pounds

·        Xiomara Piercey of Hillsborough, Consumer Protection Division - .950 pounds

·        Ann Alcaro of Piscataway, Finance Division - .665 pounds

·        Carl Andreassen of Chatham, Engineering Division - .665 pounds

·        Greg Backman of Keansburg, Graphics Department - .604 pounds

“Everyone who entered agreed to donate the final product,” said Freeholder Director Patricia Walsh. “Our generous employees gave four shopping bags of tomatoes to the Volunteers of America Agapé House, a shelter in Somerville that provides temporary housing and counseling for homeless families and individuals.”