Am slow but I get it now

[Jogeephus]

Was talking to a friend who raises vegetables on a large scale. His daughter moved to Atlanta and was telling him about how everyone seems to want naturally grown and organic vegetables and how the farmer's markets are the in thing with many in the metro Atlanta area. She told him about the high prices these people were willing to pay for these special vegetables rather than buying the waxed pesticide and fungicide laden crap sold in the grocery stores. Since he grows vegetables for varying markets she talked him in to bringing some of his natural grown and organic vegetables to Atlanta to see if they couldn't make a little money.

Seizing the opportunity to spend the weekend with his daughter he agreed and loaded up a reefer truck with his natural stuff but as an afterthought he loaded up some vegetables that was destined for the grocery stores. You know, that shyt that's been waxed and graded which at one time had pesticides, fungicides and herbicides sprayed in the field where their happy roots once kissed the soil. You know, the shyty stuff that these people always complain about.

He said he had a great time with his daughter and it brought back memories of the first time he took her to the zoo. He said they made some good money. People were buying up their produce left and right and at good prices to boot. Only problem they face now is what to do with all the natural stuff they brought up there. Seems people flinch seeing a stink bug sting on a pea or a blemish on a tomato but they sure loved the waxed chemical laden shyt that would have found its way into Walmart.

After he told me about this I was reminded of a recent meeting I was forced to attend to maintain one of my government licenses where I listened to a speaker from the US GAO explain to us how to lie without lying - or at least to be able to lie without being sued. During the lecture the speaker explained its the idea that is important to these people not the actual nuts and bolts or as I'd say the truth but truth to some seems relative. Only the idea and the idea has value and should be embraced and exploited. Its an opportunity. I ranted about this earlier in the year because I am more of a black and white kind of guy but I think I get what he was saying now. Its not that these people will actually drop their standards and accept the fact that produce grown totally naturally WILL have flaws. No they want flawless food marinated with the idea that they are not impacting the environment. So now I understand why unicorn farts are so appealing to so many.

 

[M5farm]

The general public is stupid, bat shyt crazy, morons, buffoons, ignorant and so forth. This same group Ijust describe only wants cab also. You know I heard that if you get a cab and breed it to a herf they will produce a white face calf that you can taste the superiority in the meat because its white faced.

 

[greybeard]

M5/Joe-- there's a sucker born every minute.

 

[hurleyjd]

This may be a little off of the topic started. I cannot understand women that will not vaccinate their children against child hood diseases. Several years ago my father had me drive me to an old cemetery in the area. He wanted to show me 14 graves of babies that died with whooping cough from one family within a weeks time.

 

[Jogeephus]

Hurley, that's well in line with what I'm poking at. Whooping cough was a thing of the past but thanks to people like this it is becoming a real problem again and their ignorance is going to kill people. I don't understand why an understanding of how to work with nature for our benefit is deemed bad by some.

 

[Jogeephus]

You know I heard that if you get a cab and breed it to a herf they will produce a white face calf that you can taste the superiority in the meat because its white faced.

The Helsynki Institute proved this to be true. Beef from white faced calves not only tastes better and more tender but will also extend your life and virility up to 50 years.

 

[greybeard]

CurrentIncidence rate in Texas for 2014 as of 1st week in July is
2014 Pertussis Data (as of 07/02/2014)

Current case count: 1079

Current incidence rate per 100,000 population: 3.9 persons

Current number of deaths: 2

Percentage of cases hospitalized: 12.8%

Pertussis in Texas, and the United States, has been increasing. In 2013, Texas reported 3,985 cases, which is the highest annual case count since 1959. There are several important factors leading to the increased reporting of pertussis cases including waning immunity in adults and adolescents; heightened awareness of the disease among clinicians, school nurses, parents, and general public; better laboratory testing methodologies; and enhanced disease surveillance capabilities.

Of the 3,985 cases, 11% required hospitalization, most of them children under one. There were five deaths from pertussis in 2013, all children under on year of age. For more information on pertussis, including information for the current year, please visit Pertussis data.

 

[cow pollinater]

There is a produce stand about half a mile away from me that has a big sign that reads something to the effect of "we only grow certified organic". It's true, to. It sits on about a half acre with a mobile home on it and half the place is the stand itself. Every year they grow about five tomato vines and maybe a few squash plants. There are two or three peach trees as well. From the condition of the place there is no doubt in my mind that they are not using herbicides or pesticides of any kind anywhere in their "farming" operation.
Every morning the produce truck pulls up after it gets done stocking the local savemart and offloads bin after bin of fruit. Half the time these guys even forget to take the stickers off and they still can't keep it all in stock. :bang: You would think that even the most ignorant among us would look at their selection and get suspicious when they see bananas and pineapples.

 

[TexasBred]

Hurley, that's well in line with what I'm poking at. Whooping cough was a thing of the past but thanks to people like this it is becoming a real problem again and their ignorance is going to kill people. I don't understand why an understanding of how to work with nature for our benefit is deemed bad by some.

At annual checkup this year my doctor recommended a tetanus/whooping cough combo shot because so many kids are getting it again.

 

[Nesikep]

We've had that exact same problem here... we had an acre of potatoes, and they had flea beetle damage to them... makes for a bit of a scabby skin.. our potatoes store for over a year in our cellars, but we can't sell them. it's like that with everything.. They want the pesticide free stuff, but won't accept a purely cosmetic defect on something... They want their apples to be 3-4" around, they don't care that they're flavorless or perhaps even floury, they don't want the 2-3" apples that are juicy and tasty.

For years I've tried to market beef, when I was getting $.80 for a 5wt heifer, I was charging $4.50/lb cut and wrapped when sold by the quarter, or $5 when sold by the 30 lb "assorted" bag, I know the beef was good, but couldn't even get responses from people to see if they liked it, or repeat sales. Now that ground beef is $5/lb in the store, people are asking if I have beef for sale... well, I politely say F* you, I get good money at the sale barn... I actually would sell whole cows, or even keep steers, but I am going to require the people to buy the calf outright at weaning time in the fall at current prices, and then pay additional the following fall, and take care of slaughter, cut and wrap.. I will deliver it to the place of their choice, LIVE! The reason for this is CFIA/FDA regulations, etc with selling meat off the farm. But alas, no one even has a freezer, they all b!tch and whine about a whole cow being too much, etc and no one seems to have any friends to share with at that point!

So I give this .!.. ..!. to all the lazy city folk and tell them to go pay $15/lb for a damn steak at the store, I'm sick of bending over for them

 

[Jogeephus]

People are funny aren't they? Makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time.

 

[john250]

An old orchardman I respected told me "People always ask about organic, but they won't buy an apple with a blemish."

 

[presmudjo]

Oh, I so wish I could eat a pear that tasted like a pear.

 

[torogmc81]

An old orchardman I respected told me "People always ask about organic, but they won't buy an apple with a blemish."

Well said, I'm definitely going to write that down. Describes the narrow minded ignorance movement we've been seeing very well. Also represents how wasteful we are, especaiily when it comes to food (myself included)

 

[greybeard]

Anyone that has ever grown any real heirloom tomaters knows how they look when they are ready. "imperfect" I guess you might call them--split skins, blemishes, even a few holes in the skin--then ya taste them----- :banana: :banana: :banana: but I bet the public would pass them all right by.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Oh yeah I see this every single day. I walk to the back and roll my eyes at these people's ignorance.
People will pass up a perfectly fine vegetable or fruit because it is not perfect.
Had one person recently complain about the tomato's because they were not red enough, that was a double eye roll.

 

[Nesikep]

I do like my tomatoes to be red and ripe, but a split or scar on them doesn't bother me none.

Presmundo, we have an ancient pear tree... doesn't make very big pears, and they have a tough skin on them, but they're VERY tasty, and we can store them for a couple months in the cooler.. usually we're eating them until christmas, the seeded white concorde grapes we have last until feb or so, Carrots last until the next crop, same with potatoes.. a head of lettuce lasts weeks in the fridge, and months in a cellar. We *really* don't buy much stuff.. a couple oranges, some *real* swiss cheese (but most people would find it has too much flavor), Bulgarian feta cheese that makes commercial stuff feel like concentration camp food. We don't have many options on our menu, but all the ingredients we have are top notch.

 

[Jogeephus]

GB, those are some great looking tomatoes.

A few years ago I stumbled on some prime rib eyes at a butcher shop that were marked down to half price because the butcher couldn't sell them because the people thought there was to much fat in the steaks. :shock:

 

[greybeard]

Disclaimer--Those in the picture aren't my tomatoes but I've grown plenty like them. Got lots of them canned right now for later in the year too.
I bet over half the US population has never tasted a real tomato in their entire lifetime.

 

[Nesikep]

I usually remove the plastic tomato from my burgers..