Are you a “locavore?” (www.eatlocalchallenge.com). Many of us are. We like to shop at local farms or at grocers who get their food locally, rather than going to larger national brands and chains.

Locavores can find plenty to buy in New Jersey, where the state’s Jersey Fresh slogan (www.state.nj.us/jerseyfresh) has helped build support for Garden State farmers.

The food tastes better. It’s fresher, there may be fewer preservatives and less processing is required. And you are supporting a good cause. Like the family farmer.

At Alstede Farms (www.alstedefarms.com) in Chester, the strawberry fields seem to stretch forever… and you can fill a quart box in a few minutes. They’re selling fresh asparagus right now in the farm store.

Kurt Alstede says while strawberry season is finishing up, the summer brings an explosion of cherries, more berries, vegetables and peaches.

You’ll have to wait another month for the best Jersey tomatoes to peak. Rebecca and John Melick, at Melick Farms in Oldwick (www.melickstownfarm.com), know their tomatoes. They are tenth generation farmers. John Melick says heirloom tomatoes may not look perfect. They are so fragile it is difficult to transport them. But if you are a tomato lover—you know they are incredibly tasty.

How to pick the best produce? The experts say:

Color—pick the richest.

Touch—firm, slightly soft but not mushy.

Smell—flavorful.

But then again, you probably already know all this. Especially if you are a “locavore”.

Who doesn’t need to lose twenty pounds?

We asked Ocean Broadus ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ), a personal trainer from Bloomfield, the fastest way to drop flab and mold our shapelier self.

Ocean brought a Bosu (www.bosu.com) and met us in Anderson Park, in Upper Montclair. The Bosu—it stands for Both Sides Utilized—is a rubber half-sphere that can be stepped on, laid on, and used for what the experts call “core” strength training.

Your core, in case you didn’t know it, is your mid-section. And when that bundle of muscles turns to prime beef, the rest becomes stronger and well formed.

Ocean recommends three Bosu sessions every week, combined with daily cardio training.

Throw in a low-fat, low-carb healthy diet, and he guarantees you’ll drop twenty pounds in four-to-six weeks. Click here, and you can see him demonstrate.

The Bosu, which will run you about $100, looks deceptively easy. Try standing on it on one leg and you’ll break a sweat just figuring out how to keep from shaking (hint: hold onto your trainer!). Thankfully, your Bosu session will be short because exhaustion will set in quickly. But even your few minutes on the rubber will make you quiver.

Call Ocean at (973) 991-4043, if you want to get a consult. We think everyone needs a personal trainer. He’ll help you make some waves.

The Must-See TV show this summer is about the state of splitsville.

The Starter Wife on USA Network (http://www.usanetwork.com/series/starterwife) is Hollywood divorce with vengeance. A movie producer dumps his wife for a younger woman, and her star plummets instantly. The mini-series is based on the book by Gigi Levangie Grazer, wife of movie producer Brian Grazer.

We don’t have to read the book or watch the TV series to know this story. The ‘burbs are full of ex–wives—each with a different story, but many in need of help. Hundreds of women like that joined support groups or attended job training classes at the Center for Women (www.centerforwomennj.org) in Livingston last year.

One recently divorced woman who attends group meetings there says she likes the center because it is her place. He isn’t in the room. It gives her a little strength, she says.

“I think the biggest problem with divorce [is] you never can break-up,” she told us. “You constantly have to deal with the person, so you can’t separate yourself emotionally.”

Center coordinator Jill Kapleau says the biggest benefit for these women is the peer support. “If they are feeling particularly miserable at 3 a.m. they can’t call their friend who has a husband sleeping next to them,” she says. Kapleau says the biggest issue for many women is affordable legal advice.

Attorney Melinda Singer has specialized in family law, and spent years running the legal services program for a women’s center in Englewood.

She thinks women can help themselves by using the Internet. You can find everything from sample property settlements to how to debrief a potential divorce lawyer.

“Knowledge is power, she says. “If you know what you have do, that will eradicate some of that fear.”

Besides the internet, the safety net of agencies like the Center for Women is listed on the Displaced Homemakers Network of New Jersey. (www.dhnj.org).

So this summer, watch The Starter Wife. But if this is your real life… these folks can help you cope with your personal drama, and re-start your life.

Anyone who thinks New Jerseyans are all tough on the outside and even harder inside has not been out and about the state the past few weeks.

We were, and saw lots of good work by all kinds of folks.

At the armory ice complex in Red Bank, the East’s finest antique dealers set up a great show last weekend for thousands of chill-seekers. The uber-air conditioned venue made a special backdrop for the Two Rivers Antiques Show (www.tworivershow.org), a benefit for Monmouth Medical Center Foundation (www.mhcf.org). You can get a behind the scenes look by clicking here.

The New Jersey National Golf Course (www.newjerseynational.com) in Basking Ridge went to the dogs last week. The club’s Red Oak Grille (www.redoakgrille.com) hosted Yappy Hour, a benefit for the St. Hubert’s Animal Shelters (www.sthuberts.org).

The American Heart Association took healthy eating to new heights, as the state’s top chefs served up a super feast at Jasna Polana (www.tpcatjasnapolana.com) in Lawrenceville, on May 31. Some of the tastiest food was from Hopewell’s Blue Bottle Café (www.thebluebottlecafe.com), one of the Princeton area growing list of excellent restaurants.

And the ice cream fundraiser we told you about last week made a difference for little Jake Healy of Ocean Township. The folks at SG2 ( www.stacygemma.com) in Shrewsbury raised $1,000—all the money went directly to his family, to help him in his battle against Leukemia.

Keep up the great work, and keep us posted!

Summer, the Shore, and Southside Johnny. Does it get more NJ than that?

We do not think so. It all comes together at the Atlantic City Seafood Festival Saturday and Sunday. So while you listen to Johnny and the Jukes, you’ll munch on conch fritters, crab cakes or shrimp skewers. www.acseafoodfest.com and (609) 561-8994.

Other shore stuff: Sunday in Long Branch, the Cruise to the Jersey Shore car show (www.visitlongbranch.com). At Sea Isle City Saturday, a boardwalk craft market, plus food, pony rides and dancing under the stars (www.seaisletourism.org). And in Seaside Heights, also Saturday, another arts and crafts exhibit (www.seasideheightstourism.com).

More arts and crafts? Check the 20th annual Fine Art and Craft Show at Brookdale Park in Montclair, Saturday and Sunday. We have always found something to take home in years past. http://www.rosesquared.com/shows/brookdale-spring/brookdale-spring.htm

If Dad overdoses on beaded jewelry and ceramic plates, he can ride in the Wheelin’ the Wildwoods bike tour on Sunday. Register online at http://www.raceforum.com/wildwoods or on-site at 8 a.m. for the 26-mile race that begins at 9 or the 10-mile run that that goes off at 10.

Or Dad can play hockey with members of the Philadelphia Flyers at the Garden State Discovery Museum (www.discoverymuseum.com) in Cherry Hill; free admission for Dad on Father’s Day.

Dad can also relax at a Father’s Day wine tasting at Alba Vineyards in Finesville (www.albavineyard.com). Also for Father’s Day, Four Sisters Winery in Belvidere www.matarazzo.com is roasting suckling pork on the pit.

A beer man, you say? The Tun Tavern (www.tuntavern.com) in Atlantic City is preparing a Brewmaster’s Dinner. Five courses, each paired with one of Tun’s handcrafted beers.

All in all, a good weekend for your Jersey Dad.