Only In America, Or?

Often wondered. In Phoenix, we watched huge crops of watermelons harvested, fields of maybe 100 acres or more, picked by farm workers and tossed up to be caught by guys riding in the backs of dump trucks. Maybe half were picked, the remainder left to grow bigger. Perhaps two weeks later, the process was repeated, then again at least one more time. The final harvest left literally thousands of melons still on the vines, too small to await harvest, as the time had come to plant the cotton. Huge disc-equipped tractors disked and plowed under all those melons, where they became compost for the coming cotton crop.

During the several days time between the last harvest and the plowing, many families were seen scurrying about stealing the melons awaiting destruction. We felt sorry for these folks, as their appearance indicated their obvious poorness. I wondered if a cop would arrest them. There were no signs posted. Frank

"These Stunning Grocery Store Photos Are Hiding A Dark Secret"


"At a supermarket like Whole Foods, a produce display can be a work of art. Lush greens and bright reds fill the aisles, drawing shoppers to mounds of perfectly spherical melons and ripe, blushing tomatoes.

But these delightful displays have a hidden cost. For each slender carrot or shapely avocado there’s another, uglier vegetable out there somewhere ― likely rotting in a crop field, compost pile or landfill.

Nearly half of all fruits and veggies in the U.S. are tossed out ― and much of that waste occurs because the items are battered or misshapen, The Guardian reports. Farmers leave imperfect crops to rot in the fields, and supermarkets won’t stock items that don’t look or feel just right.

Earlier this year, Whole Foods launched a program to sell weird-looking fruits and veggies in some stores. The effort, which began in Northern California, followed a Change.org petition from food waste activist Jordan Figueiredo calling on the supermarket to give ugly produce more love."

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/whole-foods-produce-display-waste_us_57a211e9e4b0e1aac9141325

 

Yep, lots of waste in all food products in my opinion.

I've often mentioned my shortcut on ave 9 through the orange orchards when I drive to my daughter's house.

The ground is filled with fallen oranges but I don't think you're allowed to pick them up.

 

The same thing happens in home gardens. I probably toss about as many tomatoes as I keep. Some rot or split open, some are damaged by insects.

I would guess that after the harvest farmers don't really care if people glean the fields. Some might encourage it.

 

This is the anecdote of my husband when he was in high school. While vacationing in the province, he and his younger cousin went to a watermelon farm. His cousin who was born and raised in that province told my husband to knock on the watermelon. My husband started knocking on the watermelon - that is actually the way to determine if the watermelon is ripe for picking, the solid sound indicates it's good. The cousin pulled a small knife and started slicing the big watermelon that my husband said was ripe. But at the first bite, they heard the loud voice of a man... the owner of the farm. It's a good thing that the naughty boys were fast runners.

As the 2 boys were resting a safe, that's the time my husband learned that "knock" in that province meant to steal. Fortunately, the farmer knew the family and the issue was settled amicably.

 

Tons of waste. Is it only the U.S. or other western countries? I learned this as far back as high school taking a horticulture class with a small garden on campus. Our teacher stated that people don't want to buy a fruit or vegetable with a blemish when it is perfectly fine to eat. And this was in the 70's. I'll bet it's gotten worse.

We are spoiled. I have heard of people who legally go to fields after harvest to hand pick what was missed for food banks etc.

I wish more people considered this waste Frank. I think many don't bother.

 

I think (but don't know for sure) that some of these probably end up being the sliced fruit sold in containers for higher prices, marketed for convenience. That would most likely only affect the produce that actually made it into the stores (or distribution centers, if they are prepared there), and not at the growing end. We used to go to a few fruit and vegetable stores growing up that would have a section for bruised and otherwise less desirable produce, and would sometimes buy the items there, since they were priced much lower. Not only did it include misshapen produce, but also that which was overly ripe, which might work for specific circumstances, say for banana bread.

 

Didn't think of all that cut up fruit and veggies that are sold for our convenience. Those don't last too long.

I admit to being lazy enough and buying my onions chopped all the time. I will also sometimes buy the watermelon
Chunks or slices because I don't want a whole one and don't want to deal with a whole one either.

I also remember the discounted veggies and fruits in supermarkets, I don't see that now...at least not here.

What I do notice though is that bags of washed greens like spinach don't last long at all and you have to really look at all the bags because ones that are still out will have a lot of wilted leaves in the bag already.

 

This reminds me also of working at the cannery. Some of the large cans were filled with pears that were small or irregular broken pieces and then sold as institutional goods. They used to also have a dented can sale. They would also label cans and a lot of different labels went on those same cans.

I buy bagged spinach or baby lettuce. If the spinach starts to go bad, I'll cook it. I too don't see any discounted fruits and vegetables anymore. Now that it's been mentioned, I do remember those years ago when I was younger.

 

There is nothing wrong with ugly vegetables. We are so spoiled in this country, it isn't funny. We think we have to have the best of the best. I think farmers sometimes overproduce too. Rotting vegetables are really a wastr, and they could be donated to food banks or sold in stores where people are not as picky about their produce. I think plowing them under is not really a great thing to do when some people could benefit from that food.

 

@K E Gordon "I think plowing them under is not really a great thing to do when some people could benefit from that food."

This is so very true. Reminiscent of the wasting of those thousands of slightly undersized watermelons. I have no answer to this which will suffice. The farmer is exercising his freedoms. OTOH, we saw huge amounts of produce out back behind the major retailers, pitched into the dumpsters. This went into the landfill. Why not at least use it to fertilize the fields?
Frank

 

Farming is a business. They have to make a profit to survive. Picking the crops with machines as Ken said is an efficient method to harvest. Going back over the fields to pick up the remainder would be very expensive, so expensive they would lose money trying to sell those less desirable crops. And then some of you are suggesting they give them away. If they give away ( or sell) produce that is more expensive to produce that will increase the price of all produce.
I think those in the business of farming know what is best.

 

Around the Phoenix area only cotton is harvested by machine. The melons of all kinds, artichokes, etc., are harvested by migrant workers. Occasionally, corn is grown, planted so thickly it would be impossible to walk through among the stalks. Such planting is not done to sell corn. The entire crop is machine-cut and run through a huge shredder, stalks, corn, cobs, and all, then blown into dump-truck sized bins on wheels.
Frank

 

Yes, Frank, some things can't be harvested by machine. I've seen those thick corn plantings. believe those are grown for livestock feed.

 

There are many sweet potato farms here. Some farmers used to let people go into the fields and pick up sweet potatoes that were not perfect. But so many people picked up truck loads of them and sold them at flea markets that the farmers started discing them in as soon as they harvested the fields.