NJ wants to declare an official ‘state muffin’ — do you agree with the pick?

🔵 NJ has a state dinosaur and a state mineral, but not a state muffin

🔵 New legislation makes the case for a certain flavor to get top billing

🔵 NJ has a rich history with the main ingredient

Shame on you — you've been living in a state that doesn't even have an official muffin on its books.

If you're lucky, that won't be the case for long.

A piece of legislation introduced on Feb. 12 seeks to officially designate a certain snack as the official "state muffin" of New Jersey.

And the reasoning behind the choice of muffin is pretty solid — after all, the Garden State is a top producer of the main ingredient.

Under the legislation that's been referred to committees in both the Assembly and the Senate, the blueberry muffin would go on the record as the New Jersey State Muffin.

"Blueberry muffins are able to highlight both the healthfulness and the great taste of the blueberry, since they can be enjoyed as a high fiber breakfast food, or a sweet dessert," the bill says.

NJ's blueberry history

The key to creating the multipurpose food is using fresh blueberries grown right in the fertile soils of New Jersey, the bill states.

And New Jersey has a rich association with the fruit — it was designated as the official state fruit in 2003.

In the early 1900s, the legislation says, "blueberry fever swept the country" after Elizabeth White and Frederick Covile dedicated themselves to blueberry harvesting in Browns Mills and sold the first commercial crop of highbush blueberries.

Today, New Jersey is among the top five producers of blueberries in the nation, and Hammonton, Atlantic County, is widely recognized as the "Blueberry Capital of the World."

The state's blueberry output is worth around $70 million annually.

"It is therefore proper and fitting for the State of New Jersey to recognize the significance of the blueberry to the state and the delightful taste of the blueberry muffin by designating the blueberry muffin as the New Jersey State Muffin," the bill says.

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