Sheldon wrote:

> Then you're very fortunate. Most folks don't live close to where
> broccoli is grown. But then when I lived in CA much of the produce,
> especially citrus, was awful... explanation given is that the good
> stuff was sold elsewhere for top dollar and the culls were retained
> for the locals. That's pretty much true here in NY, much of the apple
> crop available in stupidmarkets during harvest season is poor
> quality... pretty much need to go to the pick your own orchards.

One of the advantages of living in a rural area is access to freshly
picked fruit and vegetables. There are several fruit and vegetable
stands near my house where I can get things within hours of picking. One
of the real bonuses is sour cherries. It is hard to find them in grocery
stores, and they really need to be used within a few hours of picking.
Tree ripened peaches are rotten by the time they get to grocery stores.
Beans and asparagus right out of the garden are much better than they
are after being shipped to a store and then sitting.