Hi James! Jersey native here, but from the hills up north. I'm very glad to see your post! South Jersey has a great agricultural history and still continues today, however, organic farms, not to mention permaculture minded establishments are few and far between. I ran a small market garden in central Jersey and found that finding customers who were interested in chemical free local food was harder than expected. I believe that it was in part my market, however, a larger idea that stuck with me was the state of our state. Those who move here come mostly for the paycheck, suburban dream or urban proximity. This influences the general population away from local ag, similar to what happened on Long Island- no more vibrant market gardens like they had in the past. This is not to scare/dis-influence you by any means, but instead, try to offer the idea that local community building is the most essential part of your journey. Talk to your neighbors, try to influence people directly in the area and build up a network of people you will see daily. I found that when I started the farm, my main idea was that customers were customers (in your case, friends/companions) and that their location did not matter-what is a few towns really? But in my experience, it was very isolating to drive the 25 minutes to the farm and understand that non of the adjacent land owners cared/were interested in building up their own gardens, eating local food, caring for our environment. My mistake was to not spend time with them more and try to show easy techniques, share ideas and laughs or to simply give away some excess food. Building up a Jersey permaculture scene would be absolutely fantastic and most definitely in demand, but do not ignore the power of those who are immediately near. I will be out of state for a few years but would love to see your idea gain traction and develop into something this state really, really, REALLY needs! I'll be following the thread to see how this progresses, my best wishes to you.
