USA oranges

[seedcorn]

A friend is in Florida. In touring orange groves, he learned of that business dying due to a disease killing orange groves. No problems as OJ companies, markets, consumers just buy imported oranges and products. NO out cry as other countries use out lawed chemicals in USA and slave labor. Our "educated" consumers cry about GMO's but nothing on importations killing American Agriculture. If people want to support slave labor countries, at least make them follow same standards or tariff them so they can't kill American AG.

The American farmers are not replacing dead trees as they can't compete with imports. First, sugar cane, then pineapples, then vegetables, soon all....

End of rant!

 

[digitS']

I was searching & reading some things on TEG yesterday about self-sufficiency. This doesn't bear directly on the question of imported food but we had to somewhat concur that it was nearly impossible to be self-sufficient so that purchasing food is next to always necessary. For everyone!

It was back at the time, winter 2007-8, when our economy was absolutely torn apart during the first stage of the Great Recession. I thought it was interesting what this poster had to say (here and in a number of other threads) about American buying habits. I'll copy and paste below the text box to make it easier to read.

Steve

As far as...

...food safety (specifically) is concerned, the thing is, we've traded off quality (meaning eating quality, plus sustainability, plus relative harmlessness to environment, plus freedom from the residues of various toxic chemicals) in favor of CHEAPNESS.

*Why* do we have all sorts of additives in our veggies and meat, megacorporations controlling our food supply, and relatively crappy tasting food? Because people have voted, with their feet (with their wallets), in favor of the cheapest possible food that technology can produce.

We, meaning anyone in the developed world that has enough access to computers to have any chance of participating in this forum, are paying WAY LESS for food than our forefathers ever did. (Googling for a quick summary of statistics on this, the best I could do offhand was this but only because it's time to go put the kids to bed now)

Organic food isn't "expensive". NON organic factory-farmed industrial-style food is just UNNATURALLY CHEAP. The thing about organic, or locally grown, food being supposedly 'too expensive' is that everyone's too busy buying tvs and clothes and big houses (and restaurant meals!) to want to spend money on food (as a society, I mean, not necessarily all individuals). Sheesh, even if you ate only organic food, you would still be spending a slightly smaller % of your income on food than your parents back in the 1950s! Oh, but of course we need also strawberries year 'round, and bananas, and this and that and the other thing... so, yeah, something has to give *somewhere*.

Of course, growing your own food can be somewhat of a money-saving exercise (although, frankly if it is in season for *you* it is also in season and thus cheap at the farmers' market...) and does give you better and less 'sprayed' produce...

...but if you ask me, the main benefit of growing your own fruits and veggies (and eggs and whatnot) is just the act of doing something Useful and Productive I think it is good for the soul to participate in the basic processes of the world, like sowing and tending and reaping (and swearing at insects and groundhogs, that's an important basic process of the world too, right?) Practical benefits are nice, but frankly not usually all that large, unless you are spending a whale of a lot of time in the garden and barnyard.

Probably just in a crotchety mood today, but always rather skeptical about airy fantasies of the romance of the modern homestead,

Pat

 

[catjac1975]

I spoke to a very old grower that we visit yearly when visiting Florida. He said the tankers come from Brazil and unload OJ. It takes them 3 days to empty the tanker. If you read the label of your juice it says Florida orange juice may contain some imported juice.

 

[Nyboy]

Sad

 

[ninnymary]

I try not to drink oj and eat the orange instead. Most oj have other stuff added to it.

You can always squeeze your own.

Mary

 

[seedcorn]

@ninnymary Great, just make sure they are USA oranges. Great news is all oranges are non-GMO......

 

[ninnymary]

I always look at the stickers on fruit. I didn't know they are non-gmo.

Just got 2 hugh bags of organic oranges from my moms yard. Grandkids had a blast picking them.

Mary

 

[seedcorn]

@ninnymary No such thing as a GMO orange......

Must be nice to pick oranges out of family's yard.

 

[Nyboy]

Every winter I get several cases mailed to me from clients in their winter homes.

 

[so lucky]

But just as seedcorn implied, being non-gmo doesn't mean they are pesticide-free.