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Sorry I’m late in posting this, but I’ve been busy with house guests over the past few days. It appears the 2015 tomato season is finally winding down, and with nearly perfect weather, what a great season it was! That means fall peppers, carrots, beets, lettuce & radishes can’t be far behind. Actually, we’re hitting the heart of the pepper season right now, and as you can see below, ‘Pepper Jelly’ has been the task of the week. Thankfully, my parents are here visiting from Minnesota, so I’ve had plenty of extra hands processing the peppers and making the jellies. They brought a small bag of ‘ghost peppers‘ (bhut jolokia) that my nephew grew in Apple Valley, MN, so we donned protective gear and made 10 half-pints of ghost pepper jelly as well.
My plans for this coming weekend? Making massive quantities of #JerseyFresh applesauce, with apples from Windy Brow Farms in nearby Fredon, NJ. What could be more appropriate for the first weekend of fall? Last year we made several gallons…this year we’re planning to double the amount for my parents to take some home with them to Minnesota.
 Habanero (left) and ghost (right) peppers waiting to become jelly.
 9 half-pints of sweet, hot habanero jelly.
 10 half-pints of smokin’ hot ghost pepper jelly.
 A tasty trio of ghost, habanero and jalapeño jellies!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Joe Sabatini, Township Manager
Byram Township Municipal Building
10 Mansfield Drive
Byram Township NJ 07874
Phone: (973) 347-2500 x129
email: JSabatini@byramtwp.org
Byram Township officials offer residents opportunity to help shape its economic future
Byram Township, September 21, 2015 – As work on Byram’s Sustainable Economic Development Plan continues, residents, neighbors, and visitors of the Township are being invited to attend a public workshop at 7:30 pm on Monday, September 28 at the Byram Township municipal building at 10 Mansfield Drive in Byram.
Township Planner Paul Gleitz will host the workshop session, with assistance from the Plan Steering Committee and Township Planning Board. The focus of the evening will be to look at Byram’s economic strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) and gain valuable information from participants. This will be done through carefully crafted questions and exercises, including breakout sessions focused on topics such as economic assets and challenges, biggest economic competitors, downtown appearance and economic diversity. The results of these exercises will be utilized to:
- Assist in determining Byram Township’s economic goals
- Review and establish Township assets upon which to build
- Assist in overcoming existing challenges which may be impeding economic success because of unrealistic expectation
The primary focus of this evening, the first of two workshops to be held, will be the SWOT analysis. Participants will also be looking to identify a number of economic development goals and objectives to be addressed in the final Economic Development Plan, with an eye toward developing some sort of benchmarks that can be incorporated into the Implementation Plan for continuing monitoring and measuring for success.
A second public workshop, scheduled for Tuesday, October 27 at 7:30 pm, will expand upon the results obtained in this first session, incorporating information obtained through the Sustainable Economic Development Plan online survey, currently available to Byram’s residents, neighbors and visitors at www.ByramSurvey.com.
Byram’s Sustainable Economic Development Plan is being created for use in the long-termed economic planning and development for the Township. The Plan Steering Committee consists of nine members representing the Township Council, Planning Board, Economic Development Advisory Committee, Architectural Review Committee, Open Space Committee, and Environmental Commission. The study is being done under the guidance of Township Planner Paul Gleitz of Latini & Gleitz, and consultant Mark Lohbauer of the JGSC Group, a proactive economic strategy group specializing in development, redevelopment and revitalization of communities.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Joe Sabatini, Township Manager
Byram Township Municipal Building
10 Mansfield Drive
Byram Township NJ 07874
Phone: (973) 347-2500 x129
email: JSabatini@byramtwp.org
Byram Township to residents and neighbors: “Tell us what you want”
Byram Township, September 14, 2015 – As is visible on roadside signs throughout the community, Byram Township’s Mayor and Council are asking the Township’s residents, neighbors and visitors to “Tell us what you want.”
 With the guidance of their Sustainable Economic Development Plan Steering Committee – and a grant from the New Jersey Highlands Council – Byram is asking its residents, workers, and visitors to take an online survey that gathers information the Township may include in a larger, upcoming market analysis. The report, when completed, will ultimately be used to recruit developers, stores and restaurants that would be most sustainable in Byram, and most desired by the community.
The survey is available to the public online at www.ByramSurvey.com. It is currently open for you, your family and your friends to share your opinions. The survey is anonymous, and no one will be asked to register or provide any information more personal than their home zip code. People who do not have Internet access through a home computer are encouraged to take the survey using their smart phones.
“This is an opportunity for the residents of all neighborhoods throughout the Township, our visitors, and our neighboring communities to share ideas and provide feedback we can use to provide better retail and housing choices,” said Mayor James Oscovitch. “Completing the survey will take only a few minutes, but the information it provides will have a long-lasting and direct impact on our quality of life, as it will help us make for a better shopping and dining experience in Byram. Please take the survey and share your ideas about the Township’s future with us.”
Byram’s Sustainable Economic Development Plan is being created for use in the long-termed economic planning and development for the Township. The Plan Steering Committee consists of nine members representing the Township Council, Planning Board, Economic Development Advisory Committee, Architectural Review Committee, Open Space Committee, and Environmental Commission. The study is being done under the guidance of Township Planner Paul Glietz of Latini & Gleitz, and consultant Mark Lohbauer of the JGSC Group, a proactive economic strategy group specializing in development, redevelopment and revitalization of communities.
It’s been a rainy, damp week at the garden, and the fall crops of carrots, radishes, beets and lettuce seem to be liking it this way. With a much warmer week forecast, I think they’ be growing fast & happy! The tomatoes have slowed down significantly, and this past week’s word has been ‘Peppers’ as you can see from the pictures below. I’m keeping busy with jalapeño and habanero jellies stacking up in the pantry. Going to taste good this winter, and make for some great gifts to give friends & family!
 All set to fire up a batch of jalapeño jelly on September 10, 2015
 The resulting batch of jalapeño jelly on September 10, 2015
 Can you say ‘prolific habanero bush?’ I knew you could. This plant is producing dozens & dozens of peppers!
 Pepper harvest from plot #63, Roseville Community Garden, September 11, 2015.
 All set to fire up a batch of habanero jelly on September 12, 2015
 The resulting batch of habanero jelly on September 12, 2015
 The Byram Township Mayor and Council are working to make our community a more desirable place to live, work, shop, dine and visit. As part of their efforts, they’ve launched an online survey to learn what kind of stores, restaurants, and other businesses should be recruited, and what other changes will make the area more appealing to people who live, work, and visit here. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey so that your opinions may be heard.
Please go to www.ByramSurvey.com (click on the link) to take the survey.
If you have any questions regarding this survey, please contact Councilman Scott Olson at (973) 726-8867 or by email to solson@byramtwp.org
Thank you!
Mayor James Oscovitch and the members of Byram Township Council
The ballot proof is here. November 3 is just over 7 weeks away.
It’s been a busy Labor Day weekend so far, and it’s only Sunday. I’ve haven’t managed a lot of ‘lounging around’ due to garden and yard work, and have to run out right now to gather up canning supplies for many, many more jars of pepper jellies, plus some relishes and pickled peppers. Here’s the weekly garden picture, and one of a couple of the black Aberdeen Angus cattle relaxing this holiday weekend! Hope you’re enjoying the unofficial end of summer…burgers on the grill tonight, guys! While to some it’s the end of summer, the garden season still has a good 45 or more days left in it…garden on!
The pictures speak for themselves – a handful of #JerseyFresh habanero peppers transformed into a spicy, golden jelly that’s sure to warm your soul on a chilly winter’s eve!
 The peppers…  …become the jelly!
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