CAUTION: Scary Strawberries Ahead |
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For me, there are two things that truly announce Summer's arrival. One is putting the hammock out and going for a test-sway. The other is adding juicy, delectable, farm-fresh strawberries to my Heritage Flakes and soy milk. Coincidentally, The Toronto Star recently ran a detailed article on the fabled strawberry. I read it and almost spewed said Heritage Flakes and soy milk, along with my poor strawberries. It was beauty of a Sunday morn. and the front page of the Star seductively showed the fabled fruit in the brightest red they could print. But hey, I don't get the paper (why cut down trees?!) so I called up the site and took it from there. They had a start-to-finish video of the life of a California strawberry and all its myriad adventures. I've embedded it here (and apologies for the commercial). Take a look. But be warned.....you may not wish to have children present.....
Wow. While I knew about migrant workers and ridiculous food miles from California to Toronto and beyond, my jaw dropped during the part about methyl bromide (here's some Wikipedia 411). This chemical kills absolutely everything in its path, the US EPA classifies it as a "category one acute toxin", it eats the ozone layer (what's left of it), and it was internationally banned over 20 years ago. Infuriatingly, the US receives its "critical-use exemption" for its Cali. wonder-berries every - every - year. Sometimes I wonder why people bother passing laws anyway..... And after they inject the soil, the entire field is blanketed in what looks like thick black saran wrap, adding the finishing touch of hormone-mimicking chemicals leaching into the crop from its plastic blanket. OMG what are we doing..... So I will forego strawberries from afar and support my local berry farmer and their farm. And if it's organic, then that's icing on the cake for sure. Now if I can figure out how to prevent the local critters from eating the wild strawberries in the gardens, my morning Summer breakfast will be only a few footsteps away from true berry bliss.
PS Click Here for the full Toronto Star article and its separate companion article. They're well done and an eye-opener. PS To have jBlog entries appear in your "Live Bookmarks" or other RSS reader, click the RSS logo to the right!
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All this for a strawberry? Do we really need to eat these crazed mutant chemically-laden things? How can all this happen for only $2.50 a box? My local berries are more expensive than that! Holy industry subsidies Batman!
