Xref: kermit rec.gardens.edible:64656

On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 06:05:40 GMT, Sherwin Dubren
wrote:

I cannot help but wonder that we can put men on the moon, but we cannot
come up with a good tasting tomato that will hold up under shipment. I
do recall that many years ago, you could not even get certain vegetables
in the winter, so maybe we should just take what we can get.

As I noted in another thread, it seems that ripe, good-tasting
tomatoes don't lend themselves to mechanized harvest and shipping.
Agricultural colleges receive grants for developing varieties with
thicker skins, more uniform shapes, and a ready-all-at-once growing
schedule. Good taste is a secondary issue.

And yes, IMO, it doesn't seem fair to demand a summer fruit in the
middle of winter and then complain that it's expensive and doesn't
taste 'right.'

I dunno about carrots. I bought 'top on' bunches in WalMart that were
delicious; a couple months later, they were awful. I queried the
produce manager who said everything comes from different suppliers and
the Pennsylvania ones had been replaced by some from Texas. Or vice
versa.

I guess the (my) answer is to grow as much as possible yourself, and
consider a lovely, sun-warm, just-picked tomato a summertime treat.
:-)