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The new breed of strawberry, courtesy of Rutgers University, is designed to be grown here and eaten shortly after being picked. (Photo courtesy of Peter Nitzsche)

The Rutgers Scarlet strawberry doesn't like road trips.

It's designed to be grown - and eaten - in the Garden State.

A new breed of strawberry is the product of years of cross-breeding by the folks at Rutgers' New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. It was designed to be superior to all those berries that were bred to be grown in California then trucked to New Jersey.

California berries are bred to be able to withstand days or even weeks of transit. The Rutgers Scarlet, by contrast, isn't a hardy traveler. It's designed to be eaten as soon as it's picked.

The 10-year project comes to fruition - literally - later this month when test plots at over a dozen Jersey farms will produce the berries. Supplies will be scarce this season, according to Rutgers, but consumers and gardeners will be able to buy their own plants at an August 15 open house at the EARTH Center in South Brunswick.

One of the berry's developers told Rutgers Today that they experimented with countless varieties with a goal of balancing sweetness with acidity.

"If you have something that is only sweet, it can be bland," said Peter Nitzsche, associate professor and agriculture agent for Rutgers Cooperative Extension. "But the combined sweetness and acidity is what really creates that excitement in your tongue."

Kathleen O'Brien may be reached at kobrien@njadvancemedia.com, or at (732) 902-4557. Follow her on Twitter @OBrienLedger. Find NJ.com on Facebook.