"Billy Rose" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"cat daddy" wrote:

Hmm, not so simple a choice as it seems... sigh

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/op...html?th&emc=th
Food That Travels Well

By JAMES E. McWILLIAMS
Published: August 6, 2007
Austin, Tex.

THE term “food miles” — how far food has traveled before you buy it —
has
entered the enlightened lexicon. Environmental groups, especially in
Europe,
are pushing for labels that show how far food has traveled to get to the
market, and books like Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle:
A
Year of Food Life” contemplate the damage wrought by trucking, shipping
and
flying food from distant parts of the globe.

There are many good reasons for eating local — freshness, purity, taste,
community cohesion and preserving open space —


Thanks, these are the kind of discussions that, as good citizens, we
need to pay attention to because of cost, both financial and
environmental.

Yes, if the total cost of producing anything were actually considered,
then it would be easier to make the right choices. Environmental degradation
or cleanup being one cost that's hidden or subsidized. Or social impact,
where if say, Afghan farmers could get a good price for cotton, maybe they
wouldn't raise poppies.

I think this is a good argument for some products, such as meat, which,
when shipped as sides, may benefit from the additional time. But
otherwise we end up talking about shelf life. Obviously, the longer a
fruit or vegetable has been harvested, the less fresh flavor it will
have. If I buy corn in a local store, the corn will probably be a week
old. If I buy at a farmers market, it may be a day old with it's
accompanying loss of flavor.

I never knew what a real apple tasted like until I lived in Seattle,
where it was picked that morning. Of course, they had no idea what real
citrus or a watermelon tasted like.

To have the best flavored produce and bakery goods, you want the
freshest. The freshest is what is produced locally.

Fresher and more variety. Corporate food is grown for shelf-life and
appearance and is rarely the better tasting.
We also lose our food knowledge. A little old grandma from Mexico was
walking her grandkids by my house a few days ago. The kids called to me and
asked if they could have the seeds and pointed to my Mimosa tree. With my
poor Spanish, she told me the green, immature pods made great seasoning for
pork. You won't find that recipe on the Internet....