Creating Memories to Promote Organic Produce

Discussion in 'Conversations Forum' started by Daniel Mosquin, Aug 13, 2004.

  1. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

    Messages:
    10,611
    Likes Received:
    645
    Location:
    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  2. mr.shep

    mr.shep Well-Known Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    1,424
    Likes Received:
    24
    Location:
    San Joaquin Valley, California
    David ‘Mas’ Masumoto and his Suncrest Peaches, yes
    I know him well. Talking Baseball, another of Mas'
    passions and the time just flutters away all the while
    with a smile on our faces. The good old times we've
    shared.

    I know what Mas means from my being raised for the first
    13 years in San Pedro, County of Los Angeles, yet most
    of my family members were involved with farming in some
    way. Only two of us 30 some odd "cousins" are actively
    farming today. Just the other day I was wondering if the
    fields where we used to buy snap beans between San Pedro
    and Marineland were still there. I remember my parents
    buying the beans and before we left the sand strip in front
    of the small shack where the fields almost touched the ocean
    we would be eating the beans raw and loving every second
    of it. It was amazing how sweet they were and no Sugar Pea
    I've tasted can match them for sweetness. Up on the hills
    above the ocean between Marineland and the old Portuguese
    Bend there were many fields of Garbanzo Beans grown in
    which what impressed me when I was young was that the
    fields were protected by armed guards. Those Beans were
    considered by many to be the very best in the world and
    were exported directly to Italy. No where else got a taste
    of them. I've often wondered what those Garbanzos might
    have tasted like.

    We moved to Merced whereby one of the best friends
    of the family lived very close to the late John Anderson.
    John was a Peach and Nectarine breeder extraordinaire.
    There are quite a few Stone Fruits with John's name on
    them. I have two of his seedlings that I would not trade
    for any Peach. One seed from one of his fresh eating
    Peaches came out true. The other oddly enough was a
    fresh Nectarine seed that produced our Clingstone Peach
    that no Cling Peach can touch for flavor in my mind. At
    least with Peaches I can live the best of the past every year
    but others are not so fortunate. When people come out
    here from New York and we see the looks on their faces
    the instant they bite into a tree ripe Red Jim Nectarine
    and make the comment that they've never tasted anything
    so good, it is tough for us to mention that Nectarines are
    shipped to New York but that variety, tree ripe, is not one
    of them. Our Red Jim's are shipped to Japan but they are
    not nearly as good as the tree ripe ones we keep for a few
    people's fruit stands near Reedley. Once tree ripe we look
    at that Nectarine as having a shelf life of 3 days.

    On one hand we talk of progress in Agriculture but we have
    not developed Fruits and Vegetables that are as good as
    they were in the past 30 years or so. The Red Delicious
    Apple is just a caricature of its old self. What happened
    to the sweetness, the firmness of the flesh and the flavor
    of the Apple? The old Ace Tomato or the old Beefsteak
    are two more examples of what was and what is now. We
    want good shipper fruit but at what price have we sold our
    collective souls just to make a living? Those of us that
    know how good the fruit and vegetables used to be and
    know what we are selling today have to shake our heads
    in disgust. Oh, if we can only sell our crops locally, then
    we may be a little poorer but we'd be much happier people
    and we would instill the old pride we used to have in saying
    to others anywhere that we still grow the best fruit and
    vegetables in the world right here.

    Thanks guys for sharing this weblog. You picked a wonderful
    man and subject to write about.

    Best regards,

    Jim
     

Share This Page