I came across this opinion article in the Dallas Morning News, and it gave me a new perspective on food. I hope it is of interest to y'all, and that you might have an opinion on the subject, too. http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/s...orlds-most-delicious-foods-are-going-away.ece
I found the article very interesting. I try to watch what we eat but I'm still chained to what is available in the grocery store and what I am able to grow as most people are.
That article is an eye-opener for certain. I do hope the diversity might grow again. It's fun to eat something different, but it's hard to find in the shops.
In 1903 there were not all the cultivars (varieties) that are available today. Each variety means a change has been made in the basic DNA of a plant that will make it ripen quicker, ripen slower for shipment, the color brighter or different completely, grow in a climate that is not native or normal, be more drought/deer/rabbit/disease resistant or at least tolerant, etc. Trouble is sometimes those improvements mean giving up the way they used to taste in the good old days. With the 'improvements' farmers grew fewer and fewer of the heirloom varieties because the buyers (individuals and food processors) wanted foods with the new and improved features. So more land was given over to the new versions, making more money for the farmers who couldn't afford to use their land for anything that didn't pay the bills. And some old varieties died out before anyone thought to save seeds for the future. There are some seed companies, that specialize in heirloom varieties, trying to make home growers aware of the lost veggies and fruits and hoping to make them more common now and in the future.
Great article MG. Thank you for posting it. My town's local library has a 'seed bank' of heirloom vegie varieties. 2015 was my first year growing vegetables in the local community garden, so 'borrowing' heirloom seeds, growing them over the summer & 'returning' seeds back to the library felt a little too much for me in my first year. But I am now intrigued & will check into it when seeds are posted again. I wonder how complicated it will be; for example do you have to protect the heirloom plants from getting cross fertilized by hybrid vegies growing nearby? I bet you do. Has any one else done this?
You might call the local County Extension office and ask what the procedure is but I would think that preventing cross pollination would be a priority.
Thanks Toni. I am assuming there will be directions at the library & on the seed packets.... It might be a bit of a trick preventing cross pollination, especially in a community garden. Maybe tight row covers?
