07-29-2009, 11:11 PM
3d wrote:
Here in NYC there's a big farmer's market at Union Square in Manhattan. Late last winter,, (i want to say February but i'm not sure) alot of the vendors were selling apples and cups of hot apple cider. Huge piles of apples in all shapes and colors displayed charmingly in wooden crates and baskets as to visually suggest that these apples are locally grown/organic. No stickers. No labels. No brands.
But here in the NorthEast in Feb there aren't any trees with leaves.. much less apples. Where did these apples come from?! When were they picked? Are they REALLY locally grown/organic/wholesome? They can't be. Or are they just apples that were sitting in a storage bin for months shipped here from somewhere else like most things in the supermarket.
The whole thing was fishy to me. But no one seemed to care. People were buying up those apples. And apple pies. Hot cider. I didn't want to carry around a bag of apples with me so i didn't buy anything.
To me, an apple is an apple. I can't tell the difference especially when I cut them up and blind taste test them.
Where I grew up there were a number of orchards, including one that mostly sold its fruit locally. It would pick its apples in the Fall, sell many by the peck or bushel in its store. They also sold fresh pressed cider. The rest of the apples that were from varieties that stored well wouold be kept in their storage warehouse. Since they received the best possible storage conditions the orchard could provide, and did a minimal amount of travelling, they were almost as good as fresh picked until about the next April.