Re: Organic produce (was Ripe Tomatoes )
riedy wrote:
>
> In my heart of hearts I have to concur with your sentiments, but
> unfortunately the reality of my situation steers me to other options.
> Perhaps we are by a stroke of fate more fortunate here in that the organic
> gardening movement, if it did not originate in this country, was embraced
> and developed here, impelled not only by Mr. Rodale but also by Rachel
> Carson and a host of others who early on inveighed against pesticides and
> pollution and all that. Undeniably it's been slow going with a lot of
> corporate impedance (and frankly, some proponents of organic gardening
> can be a turn-off, too), but I think it has caught on to a considerable
> extent. (big snip)even in my village of 8,000 people, our
> three supermarkets, all within a few minutes drive from my place, carry a
> prominent array of organically grown vegetables and other "natural" foods
> at prices not significantly higher (any more) than the run of the mill
> stuff. And that latter, too, sprayed or not, is generally of a quality
> produce years ago cannot compare with.
I am filled with envy. However, we have always reckoned (ever since
landing here around 45 years ago) that NZ somehow manages to be about
twenty years behind the rest of the world. Not so much in its technology
these days, but certainly in its acceptance of new ideas. So we still
have hopes that the organic movement will finally come into its own
here. Certainly there has been a marked increase in successful organic
growers and in the availability of good quality organic produce in the
last few years. However the price differential is still in place and
does work against a more general acceptance by the public. So I guess we
shall have to grow as much as possible of our own clean produce for a
few years yet.
> At this point, in my best of all possible worlds, I would wish for a
> plot of food plants with the ability to naturalize, indicating they need
> at best only minimum help, maybe just a spritz of water from time to time.
> So far the only vegetables that meet the test at my place are Swiss Chard
> (Beta vulgaris cicla), the daylily species Hemerocallis fulva, and
> Arugula (Eruca sativa, which disproves the catalog writers). Oh yes, I
> suppose I should count Principe Borghese tomato which faithfully puts up a
> plant or two every year.
Chard has certainly naturalized in my garden along with several herbs
and the occasional lettuce and faba bean, but I couldn't really depend
yet on stuff I haven't actually planted.
Incidently, your mention of the Turkish gent and his pendulum reminded
me of an old friend who used to determine her day's diet by holding a
plumb bob over varous foods and seeing the way the pendulum swung. She
would also hold it over a sick plant and then over varous fertilizers
and remedies. When she found one over which the pendulum swung in the
same direction as over the plant she would then give the plant whatever
it was and expect it to recover!!
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata,
New Zealand (astride the "Ring of Fire" in the SW Pacific).
