the question is a very good onetz regarding blulying locally grown lemons-
lets think about this..Why do i need lemons- vit c and for recilpies-
lemon meranque pie etc- But think about this. There is a nitrogen fixing
shrub called the sea buckthorn which grows in Minnesota and elsewhere in
harsh climates- the berry is a bright yellow and the plant is full of
vitimine c addiltionally the russians have found a ton of medicinal
products and opportunities for the berry- And it is N fixing!!! as stated
above
Rose hips- vit c and medicinal value- So, in my book lemons are much like
the presitge product becauxe of the citrus associations created markets
for the porduct- having lemons out of seson or tomatoes all year around is
a sign of "wealth" the right to pot latch our petroleum supplies for ego
and to export cpaital from MInnesota--
So, Minnesota advocates bluying locally- they have a saying "2000 miles
fresher". The idea of having the same fruits and veggies available year
around may, in the long run be detrimental to human health and the health
of the planet regardless of whether the lemons are tree ripened and flown
in on 747's within hours of picking or not.
The issue which you raise, of course, is multidimensional- fresh vs picked
early for varaince in quality is one point. Picked I@~?in the fields and
frozen there vs picked locally and suffering loss due to ilnefficient
removal of heat units is anotherz@ issue,
and using seaonsla procuts which are local and different from the same
product available year around is anaother issue
Where to attack this elephant is an iteresting issue. Let me raise just
one other point- import/export-- the major us export is agricultural-
primarily grain- but we do export fresh commodities- we also import these
same commodities- a lot of this is driven, not by the need to have the
stuff imported but by the wall street investment bankersBu
#h~?
and their need for profits from their sotcks and debt instruments- so our
health and choices of foods- local or imported are often not driven by the
basic needs of the markets but by the needs of agribusiness
at the expense of human health and economic well being. We export apples
from the us and import them from chili, etc
tom abeles
tabeles@tmn.com