How Do Indestructo Berries Impact Produce Shipping and Taste?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the impact of "indestructo" berries, particularly strawberries, on produce shipping and taste. Participants explore the implications of breeding resilient berries for transportation and the resulting effects on flavor and quality, as well as personal experiences with different sources of strawberries.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant shares insights from a conversation about the demand for resilient strawberries due to the challenges of shipping produce over long distances, noting that these berries often lack flavor and sweetness.
  • Another participant expresses dissatisfaction with grocery store strawberries, opting instead for local farm market options.
  • A humorous comment about "gummiberries" suggests a playful take on the texture of resilient berries.
  • A quote is shared that critiques the quality of machine-harvested strawberries, implying they are not suitable for human consumption.
  • One participant humorously suggests that a resilient berry grower is needed to produce non-resilient berries, highlighting the irony in the situation.
  • Some participants reflect on their personal dislike for strawberries, attributing it to the quality of commercially available options.
  • There is a mention of the difficulty in finding ripe, home-grown peaches, paralleling the discussion about strawberries and their transportability.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the lack of flavor in commercially available strawberries and express a preference for locally sourced, home-grown options. However, there is no consensus on the implications of breeding resilient berries or the best sources for quality fruit.

Contextual Notes

Participants discuss the challenges of transporting produce and the trade-offs between durability and flavor, but do not resolve the complexities of breeding practices or the broader implications for agricultural practices.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in agricultural practices, produce quality, and the effects of breeding on flavor may find this discussion relevant.

jim mcnamara
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I was helping the curator of a small museum with software. We got to talking about his day job. Turns out he coordinates the shipping of produce from producers to most of the grocery brokers and chains from the Mountain states to the West Coast. And parts of Mexico. Impressive.

Anyway we got to talking about that. Apparently because of the way produce is shipped all over the place there is a demand for "indestructo" strawberries. I live in New Mexico and the berries we get in chain stores are not really ripe and they seem to stay hard for quite a while, without ever getting really sweet and soft.

This is a feature. Thanks to applied genetics run a bit amok, IMO. When berries are shipped via large truck, they experience lots of heavy duty jostling in transit. Pot holes, wear ridges at intersections all send the berries for a jump. When the berries are "normal" they do not make the journey unscathed. So what was needed what a very resilient berry. In fact breeding these guys used the same kind of stair mechanism used to sort out good/bad cranberries. A bounce test. Fail to bounce enough and the breeders reject the stock.

Hah! I tried this on my own. Almost all of my sample test victims, when dropped about one foot, produced about a 3 inch rebound. They are not even slightly flavorful. :frown: They also did not seem to bruise from my abuse. Can't have everything I guess.

I can be taught. I am going to find a local, non-resilient berry grower.
 
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Yeah, we gave up buying grocery store strawberries several years ago for that reason. If we can't get them from one of the local farm markets, we don't get them.
 
Gummiberries.
 
"Tomatoes[insert]Strawberries[/insert] fit to be picked by machines, are fit only to be eaten by machines."
 
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jim mcnamara said:
I am going to find a local, non-resilient berry grower
What you need is a resilient berry grower, one who can raise non-resilient berries. :oldbiggrin:
 
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Perhaps the reason I have never liked strawberries is far more practical than I thought.
 
ChemAir said:
Perhaps the reason I have never liked strawberries is far more practical than I thought.
If you've never had freshly picked home grown strawberries, you're in for a treat.
 
phinds said:
home grown strawberries, you're in for a treat.
Haarrrdddd to find (pun intended, or not).
 
Bystander said:
Haarrrdddd to find (pun intended, or not).
The same goes for ripe, home grown peaches.
I ripe peach does not travel well.