Forest wrote:


> i may be wrong , but i don't think rex is saying that brix is the only factor
> in determining our food and diet preferences, i think he is saying it is an
> important factor to consider and should be a major player in the ongoing raw
> fooders experiments.

That's right, Forest---and thanks for seeing though a bit of smoke.  Perhaps I
should repeat it for others: verifiable quality must be factored into any dietary
claims (for them to make sense).

And, I hope it's clear, my suggestion that any assumption, or claim, of *quality*
should be proven in some way is neither dishonest nor unfair.  For instance, most
farmers agree that if you feed your stock, say, hay from a particular field, and
they all get gaunt, the 'quality' is rather poor (or something toxic is
present).  That's proof.  Any farmer with sick stock who insists the hay just had
to be top quality is blowing smoke.

I'm not a fruitarian (toxic, lying, or whatever other names such people might be
called).   However, if I were a fruitarian, you can bet your bippy I would expend
considerable energy checking the quality of the fruit I was eating.

Another thing I would do is have the soil where I grew my fruit checked for
toxicity.  For instance, many of the subdivisions in Florida have been, and still
are being, built on sites where the citrus groves are bulldozed off.  Much of the
soil where the houses are built is heavily contaminated with massive (yes,
massive) amounts of such chemicals as lead arsenate.

Interestingly, the more modern poisons tend not to show up in similar quantities
in the soil because they readily leach into the aquifers.  Anyone caring to
research this will find that the EPA has become the main obstacle to careless
farmers over-poisoning (is that an oxymoron?) the soil.  Supposedly, the ag
department has been lax about holding down the toxin use, and, as the old timers
tell me, it's left to the EPA to go beserk when the stuff shows in the drinking
water.

One citrus consultant in Florida told me that the reason all poison sprayers now
have to be certified by the state is that EPA kept finding where left-over spray
materials (sometimes dozens of gallons) had been dumped out onto the ground.  As
I remember it, he was talking about groves in current production.  I doubt EPA is
going around and checking back yards that were once groves in the past 20 years
or so.  I also doubt they are checking the materials people gather to make
compost.

I would suggest that anyone on this list who perhaps plans on moving to Florida
and growing backyard fruit should have the soil tested for toxic contamination.
There's no sense in taking the chance of getting sick.

Regards,
Rex Harrill
PS: There seem to be quite a few comments suggesting I post elsewhere as well as
here.  As I never bother to copyright anything, perhaps those who made the
suggestions can help by forwarding my posts to wherever they think it will do the
most good.