On Sep 23, 11:26�pm, Dave Smith > wrote:
> 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.

Depends how you define rural... most rural areas in the US are pretty
devoid of crops, and if so they are crops fit only for live stock.

There are several fruit and vegetable
> stands near my house where I can get things within hours of picking.

I can too, but most crops have very short seasons. And one thing the
farm stand operators don't advertise is most of their produce is
shipped in same as what's sold at the stupidmarkets. The farm stands
in my area can't possibly have any different fresh picked produce than
what I grow myself, their season is no longer (if anything my season
is longer because I custom hand pick everything myself so don't have
to deal with crop pickers who move on to the next ripening produce).
And during most of the year produce arrives from the opposite side of
the planet anyway.

Some of my neighbors put out vegetables from their home gardens on a
small stand by the road in front of their house, sold on the honor
system... those were picked within 24 hours or so... rarely is any
farm stand produce picked within a few hours, extremely rarely (except
by lucky coincidence), most of what's sold was picked days ago... do
you really think they are going to put out say freshly picked corn
ahead of what was picked previously but hasn't been sold yet, of
course not. For the most part the only ones that ensure fresh picked
are those that offer U-Pick... and those only have a season lasting a
week or two. Farm stands are mostly a lot of hype. There is only one
way to get fresh picked, grow your own.