Re: Today's fruits & vegies lack yesterday's nutrition

[Guest guest]

>Take the potato, by far the most consumed food in Canada. The average

>spud has lost 100 per cent of its vitamin A, which is important for good

>eyesight; 57 per cent of its vitamin C and iron, a key component of

>healthy blood;

OK, but does this relate to the 'new' varieties, some heirloom I imagine. There

must be nearly a dozen potatoes, two different blue or purple, Yukon Gold,

something cream, and a new one I bought and tried from the farmers market last

week, was two to three inches long, about the diameter of my thumb and very

crooked. They certainly have more flavor than the basic white.

Since I don't care for raw tomatoes I can't speak to their variety, but there

seems to be more varieties of them than of potatoes at the market, including a

chocolate tomato, with a dark, reddish brown skin.

And asparagus can be purple, a new one on this former supermarket shopper.

My question is, do I assume that these varieties have more of the

vitamin/nutrients than the generic super market produce? Is it reasonable/safe

to assume that organic produce is any better?

Mike

[Guest guest]

> My question is, do I assume that these varieties have more

> of the vitamin/nutrients than the generic super market produce?

> Is it reasonable/safe to assume that organic produce

> is any better?

Hi Mike:

Nope. Nutrition is a product of soil fertility.

Chi

[Guest guest]

> My question is, do I assume that these varieties have more of the

> vitamin/nutrients than the generic super market produce? Is it

> reasonable/safe to assume that organic produce is any better?

Hi Mike,

It's likely that organic produce will be somewhat better. It's also

likely to matter somewhat whether it's an heirloom vs a hybrid. The

reasons though are probably indirect. Namely, any difference is

likely to be due in large part to soil fertility. The organic and/or

heirloom designations simply make it less likely that the soil was

very poor since the farmer has fewer crutches at her disposal to

overcome the problems of low soil fertility.

Soil fertility is still going to be a limiting factor, but organic

farms have to take their fertility more seriously because they can't

apply chemical " band-aids. " Similarly, hybrids are often created

specifically to produce in suboptimal conditions allowing the farmer

to successfully produce a crop on land that might otherwise not be

suitable.

One thing to keep in mind is that the hybrids and the chemicals are

used for the same reasons: producing more on the same (poor) land,

extending shelf life, achieving a uniform product, and allowing long-

distance shipping. Choosing organic and heirloom simply makes it

less likely that the product could have been successfully produced if

the conditions weren't decent.

That's my opinion anyway...

[Guest guest]

At 09:37 PM 7/8/2002 +0000, you wrote:

>One thing to keep in mind is that the hybrids and the chemicals are

>used for the same reasons: producing more on the same (poor) land,

>extending shelf life, achieving a uniform product, and allowing long-

>distance shipping. Choosing organic and heirloom simply makes it

>less likely that the product could have been successfully produced if

>the conditions weren't decent.

>

>That's my opinion anyway...

>

>

The Fetzer wine company was quoted in an article once -- they grew some grapes

" organically " to see what would happen. What happened was that the grapes

made better wine! What I've noticed is that a lot of the produce now is

grown to

be really big and it tastes (and looks) " watered down " . So it doesn't surprise

me that it is less dense nutritionally (regardless of the soil condition).

Heidi

[Guest guest]

> > My question is, do I assume that these varieties have more of the

> > vitamin/nutrients than the generic super market produce? Is it

> > reasonable/safe to assume that organic produce is any better?

>

> Hi Mike,

>

> It's likely that organic produce will be somewhat better. It's also

> likely to matter somewhat whether it's an heirloom vs a hybrid. The

> reasons though are probably indirect. Namely, any difference is

> likely to be due in large part to soil fertility. The organic

and/or

> heirloom designations simply make it less likely that the soil was

> very poor since the farmer has fewer crutches at her disposal to

> overcome the problems of low soil fertility.

>

> Soil fertility is still going to be a limiting factor, but organic

> farms have to take their fertility more seriously because they can't

> apply chemical " band-aids. " Similarly, hybrids are often created

> specifically to produce in suboptimal conditions allowing the farmer

> to successfully produce a crop on land that might otherwise not be

> suitable.

>

> One thing to keep in mind is that the hybrids and the chemicals are

> used for the same reasons: producing more on the same (poor) land,

> extending shelf life, achieving a uniform product, and allowing

long-

> distance shipping. Choosing organic and heirloom simply makes it

> less likely that the product could have been successfully produced

if

> the conditions weren't decent.

>

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,..,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,,.,.,Hi everyone,

><><>><><><<<><><><><><<><><><><><<<><><><><It seems to me that

growing conditions are never decent with drought, frost, late freeze,

early freeze, infertile soil,flood,high winds, grasshoppers, squash

bugs, cucumber beetles, creepy crawly creatures, High temps. and

there's more I'm sure. Today we turned approx. 180 6 week old

chicks and 13 6 week old ducks loose in the field to free

range/pasture mainly to eat grasshoppers. My wife thought she'd never

get them in. It turns out she and the boys built a fence to the door

on one end and under the building and " herded " them inside. They

injured only one they think. You see the grasshoppers have already

eaten all the tops from the onions leaving 4 1/2 long rows of quarter

size onions topless.. We didn't get the chickens to the field soon

enough. Just a little farming input. Best regards, Dennis

organic farmer and/or food technologist???????

PS I don't know whether the onions are hybrid but the chickens aren't.

> That's my opinion anyway...

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I get vegetables from a biodynamic farm here in Bend. I know the

farmers and they have greatly improved the soil. I have never seem

such dark green borccoli in my entire life. The taste is sweeter too.

Extraordinary! I would suggest going to the biodynamic farms web site

to see if there is one near you. Not you , but other members who

do not have a garden or farm of their own.

All my best,

Sheila

-- In @y..., " dkemnitz2000 " <dkemnitz2000@y...> wrote:

>

> > > My question is, do I assume that these varieties have more of

the

> > > vitamin/nutrients than the generic super market produce? Is it

> > > reasonable/safe to assume that organic produce is any better?

> >

> > Hi Mike,

> >

> > It's likely that organic produce will be somewhat better. It's

also

> > likely to matter somewhat whether it's an heirloom vs a hybrid.

The

> > reasons though are probably indirect. Namely, any difference is

> > likely to be due in large part to soil fertility. The organic

> and/or

> > heirloom designations simply make it less likely that the soil

was

> > very poor since the farmer has fewer crutches at her disposal to

> > overcome the problems of low soil fertility.

> >

> > Soil fertility is still going to be a limiting factor, but

organic

> > farms have to take their fertility more seriously because they

can't

> > apply chemical " band-aids. " Similarly, hybrids are often created

> > specifically to produce in suboptimal conditions allowing the

farmer

> > to successfully produce a crop on land that might otherwise not

be

> > suitable.

> >

> > One thing to keep in mind is that the hybrids and the chemicals

are

> > used for the same reasons: producing more on the same (poor)

land,

> > extending shelf life, achieving a uniform product, and allowing

> long-

> > distance shipping. Choosing organic and heirloom simply makes it

> > less likely that the product could have been successfully

produced

> if

> > the conditions weren't decent.

> >

>

> ,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,..,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,,.,.,Hi everyone,

> ><><>><><><<<><><><><><<><><><><><<<><><><><It seems to me that

> growing conditions are never decent with drought, frost, late

freeze,

> early freeze, infertile soil,flood,high winds, grasshoppers, squash

> bugs, cucumber beetles, creepy crawly creatures, High temps. and

> there's more I'm sure. Today we turned approx. 180 6 week old

> chicks and 13 6 week old ducks loose in the field to free

> range/pasture mainly to eat grasshoppers. My wife thought she'd

never

> get them in. It turns out she and the boys built a fence to the

door

> on one end and under the building and " herded " them inside. They

> injured only one they think. You see the grasshoppers have already

> eaten all the tops from the onions leaving 4 1/2 long rows of

quarter

> size onions topless.. We didn't get the chickens to the field soon

> enough. Just a little farming input. Best regards, Dennis

> organic farmer and/or food technologist???????

> PS I don't know whether the onions are hybrid but the chickens

aren't.

>

>

>

>

> > That's my opinion anyway...

> >

> >