Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>]

A couple quick points. True, sugar or brix isn't everything. Mineral and
vitamin density seems to have something to do with brix since all plant
nutrients are needed for healthy growth and ripening. Brix or refractometer
reading is meant for fresh produce of various kinds rather than cookies and
all the processed foods with sugar added. It's used religiously by wineries
for quality control. It can show the difference between different fruits or
vegetables of the same kind - one grape versus another, storebought
tomatoes versus homegrown op.  We don't want the processed junk. I think
you'll agree we want high brix in the fruits and vegetables we eat. What we
can do to get it is give them healthy soil. Which brings up back to where
we began this list.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 9/15/2007 at 4:55 AM E. E. Mitchamore Jr wrote:

>I'd be interested in a non-biased source of information on "Brix".  A
>while back I did a cursory search and it seemed to be a measurement of
>sugars.  That idea is supported by this reference to "energy", but that's
>problematic.  Sugar = carbohydrates = energy = calories, and I don't think
>that's our collective problem.  We, at least in America, have too much
>"empty" energy in our diets.  The problem is the loss of nutrients in our
>diets other than carbohydrates (vitamins, minerals, etc.).  This problem
>is so serious related to the amount of processed foods in our diets that
>discussions of nutrient density in fresh fruit and vegetables is really
>missing the point.  While we discuss the finer points of vegetable
>quality, the agribusiness corporations are making billions processing
>corn, soybeans and petroleum into pseudo-foods, and Americans are sucking
>them down to the detriment of their health.
>
>Yes, I strongly believe we should grow and eat organic (and local),
>vegetables, but fussing about their size and nutrients is petty, compared
>to the ongoing massive insults to our diets and environment.  Read The
>Omnivore's Dilemma  or Real Food by Nina Planck.
>
>E. E. "Mitch" Mitchamore
>www.hillcountrynatives.biz
>  ----- Original Message ----- 
>  From: TradingPostPaul 
>  To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org 
>  Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2007 12:42 AM
>  Subject: [Livingontheland] brix/ was vitamins, minerals and taste
>
>