To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Aronia paradox
Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:45:16 -0600
Wow, I missed this too. Thank you Jim for reposting. I have a copy of
Thoreau's "Wild Fruits" a very nice book put together from his writings and
apparently a sort of diary of harvest dates. (Actually would make a nice
Christmas present for a Nafexer if it could be gotten in time.) He talks
about the wild plants hanging with fruit. That combined with Jim's taste
tests implies maybe someone should be out searching for superior clones that
taste good COOKED. That means it takes a bit more effert to compare clones.
I suppose the named selections, being tetraploid, were selected for making
bigger fruit? Did the wild selections have small fruit? I am well aware
from picking blueberries that no matter how small the fruit might be, not
having to deal with thorns, diseases, insect damage and rot make them more
attractive than many other fruits. I suppose that most of the swamps that
Thoreau picked blueberries and saw chokeberries in were drained many years
ago. Donna