>
> Yes, it's a problem. Seed catalogs describe fruits/veggies by their
> sweetness, among other attributes.  I'm all of an ancient 48, but the
fruit
> of my childhood was not as sweet as what I get today.  Ditto with a lot of
> veggies.  And they are not as fibrous--"stringy" as my elders used to say.
>
> The wild blackberries are getting ripe.  I've been lightly grazing and
> keeping an eye on when and where to do a major picking.  I keep returning
to
> the sweetest brambles, though I'll pick tart ones, too.  I wonder which
ones
> are more like their ancestors?  Is one better for me than the other?  The
> "Paleo" books have caused me to think about "natural" food in ways that
> never used to cross my mind.
>
> Humans have been tinkering with food for a long time, but maybe some of
the
> heirloom seed varieties/old cultivars available today have more value than
> nostalgia.
>
> Theola
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>
>
I have been searching the catalogs for fruit that will grow in my area
without chemicals.  Let's face it, just 50 years ago people raised fruit
without chemicals.  My area is the worst for organic fruit
production..........the southeast............I'm in coastal
NC...........hot, humid, sand, clay, bugs galore, late frosts, wind,
hurricanes carrying salt, etc. etc.
But there is a pear that will grow here without any problem.........Kieffer.
It is gritty and not as sweet as others.  Most use it for canning.  It needs
no chemicals and once was grown commercially.  OK, so here is a high fiber
pair, but nobody wants it anymore.  It is probably a lot better for us to
eat this.
Figs grow well here, and also Muscadine grapes, which have a lot of acid in
them and don't taste as sweet.  And I've gotten some old apple tree sprigs
from old timers around here and these things grow without any help.  But I'm
told they are "cooking apples".  That's another way to say they are better
for you because they are not pure sugar and soft as hell.
So I think if we can get to the more wild varieties of fruits we are better
off.  And definitely eat the whole fruit, not just the juice.
P

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