One bite of this artisanal organic “Jersey Ketchup” and I was hooked. Now I’m even enjoying ketchup with french fries, a habit I never had before.
I’ve been reading about First Field, which is owned by a local couple, for a while. My colleague Pat Tanner has written about them, but I just hadn’t run into the product until I spied it at Sickles Market in Little Silver earlier this month. It is sold at the Whole Earth Center and other local outlets, like Lucy’s Ravioli, Olives, and The Bent Spoon. Made with New Jersey tomatoes, it tastes sweeter than I’m used to, but when I compare nutrition labels, it has the same 2 grams of sugar per serving as my regular ketchup.
I do notice the taste of cloves figures prominently in First Field, however, and we do associate that with sweetness. At first I wasn’t sure I liked the pronounced clove flavor, but now I’m completely won over. A good thing, since at around $7-$8 for a small bottle that, since it contains no preservatives, won’t keep forever in the fridge, you want to use it all up. No problem! (p.s. now I have to try their Jersey relish, too!)
NJ SPICE 