Pat Kiewicz wrote:
Nick Apostolakis said:
An argument for better oversight, if it is a common occurance. But I was
more under the impression that fruits are picked and shipped unripe because
ripe fruits are more prone to bruising and spoilage. Tomatoes, peaches,
and plums are alway picked under ripe for transport of any distance from
the field. (And strawberries are picked before they are fully ripe, too.)
yes you are right. one reason for picking them unripe is that their
mechanical strength is bigger so that they are not bruised. when the go
to the final point after which they are goin to be sold they go under a
technical maturing process. There are fruits that can mature off the
plant (e.g banana) without much tampering and other that require more
drastic measures such ethylene chambers.
Pesticides are expensive, though, so I would think that a farmer might
be more likely to harvest vegetables that were nearly ready and ship them
out rather than spray them one more time. Fruits and vegetables aren't
something that a farmer can market-time the same way he could grain
or beans.
you could not be more wrong. it is common knowledge that the early
season products always have better prices (for the producer that is) in
domestic and international markets.
for example at the start of the season the first mellons are a lot more
expensive than in the middle when the consumer can find them a lot easier.
so if you can produce early fruit in any way you get the profit.
there are some ways to improve the look of fruits so that thy look
mature and they are widely exploited.
that happens with a lot of fruits and some vegetables
No. But it would be safer to wash the produce with a mild soap or detergent,
rinse completely, then dry off the produce before putting it in the refrigerator.
Or, where that is impractical, wash the produce before eating.
of course washing is mandatory even when the vegetable is not sprayed
with chemicals.
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Nick Apostolakis
e-mail:
Web Site: http://agriroot.aua.gr/~nickapos
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