As the price of oranges is about to double

[flexagon]

Oh no! A bad freeze in California has destroyed the citrus and strawberry crops, not to mention a lot of avocados. We went and got some avocados and enjoyed what might be our last guacamole for a while. It's all a bit Omnivore's Dilemma in terms of reminding me that food does indeed come from the ground, and depends on the cooperation (or at least predictability) of nature. Oh sure, that's a concept I'd like to think I have all figured out, but I still don't really... not always... growing up in the era after fruit started to be imported out of season, I was actually pretty old before I even knew that fruit was seasonal. Citrus fruit aside, I still don't have a terribly good idea of what's grown where, and what plants need which climate to grow in. Some of my coworkers seem to know all that stuff off the top of their heads. Maybe it helps to be a foodie. Or maybe I just spaced out on the wrong day in elementary school.

Comments

[hiddenbear.livejournal.com]

Even in the era where 'fruit started to be imported out of season', it is still far better in season. I have no sense of when that is for most fruits either. My mom says to just go by the prices, but then you have to know what the prices are for each fruit/veggie at all times to know when they are low/high.

[flexagon]

then you have to know what the prices are for each fruit/veggie at all times

Geez. I guess for some people that level of market awareness comes naturally. And then there are the rest of us, to whom all fruits and vegetables usually cost about the same: affordable.

I have some awareness of price fluctuations in berries and cherries, but that's about it.

[(Anonymous)]

True dat. Corn is one of those seasonal ones for me. It always strikes me as so weird that one can get corn in the winter or spring in a supermarket.

Maybe why I'm aware of it is because we did much of our produce shopping @ a local farmers market. Not all of it, I mean, we still ate salads in the winter... but when it wasn't corn season we didn't eat corn, when it wasn't strawberry season (we often picked our own), we didn't have strawberries.

Did you know: the twinkie was originally invented so that you could have a fruit-accompanied shortcake anytime. They needed a non-seasonal fruit to accompany it: bananas. Originally, twinkies were filled w/ banana cream. When WWII came around, banana shipments went to troops... and thus twinkies became filled w/ vanilla cream.

[bluechromis.livejournal.com]

I have wondered how people accumulate that sort of info myself. I never think about it, even though I have friends in co-ops who do, and am interested in theory. That totally sucks about the avocado's though. :( What will the superbowl be without guac?