Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Dan Conine <dconine@bertramwireless.com>]

>
> On 4/15/07, Gloria Baikauskas <gcb49@flash.net> wrote:
>   
>> >
>> > I don't know the source of the information other than this is someone I 
>> > do
>> > respect online who is also a doctor, but I was told the other day by this
>> > person that he has read research papers saying that heirloom vegetables 
>> > and
>> > fruits are higher in nutrients than hybrids whether they are grown
>> > organically, or not.  I think both were grown organically....the hybrids 
>> > and
>> > the heirlooms.
>> >
>> > It does make some sense to me.  We lose something everytime we make
>> > hybrids to remove a different problem...or option since color is an 
>> > option
>> > rather than a problem most of the time.
>> >
>> > Has anyone seen any of this research?  I didn't think to ask him at the
>> > time.
>> >
>> > Gloria, Texas> 
I think there is one aspect of food that we sometimes forget when it
comes to nutrition: whether or not it was picked or harvested when it
was actually ripe. The 'fresh' vegetables and fruits in the produce
aisles are often bred to ship and picked early to avoid bruising. The
produce that is canned for storage is picked later, or has more defects
due to being picked ripe, so it is sent to be processed.

Buying local foods increases the chances that you will be getting
actually mature foods. Some things need frost to reach true storage
potential, especially some root crops like carrots, which become much
sweeter if left in the ground into the late fall or winter.

There are a lot of different factors that need to be considered when
comparing nutrition of foods, and we won't see them all compared except
in our own kitchens. Anyone waiting for an 'expert' to write a paper on
something that doesn't make money for the expert is going to wait quite
a while to get accurate answers.
I expect to see canned groceries compared to organic any day now, if it
will slow the trend toward organic foods purchased directly from farms.
The current practice of comparing 'organic' to 'conventional' rarely
distinguishes between local or imported organic, vine ripened, etc. The
more we learn on this list about Brix readings, living soils, etc., the
more we can become discerning about the 'studies' we see published.

Dan, Wisconsin