Guest guest Posted August 1, 2004 Report Share Posted August 1, 2004 Today at the market they suckered me into buying pluots by having freshly cut samples available. What's a pluot? It's a cross between a plum and an apricot. Although it seems mostly plum-like. If you scroll down on this page http://familytreefarms.com/flavor_safari_frame.html you'll see the Dapple Dandy which is what I got. I know I've also had the asparagus/broccoli hybrid, apple pears and who knows what else. How do you guys feel about these things? And what kind of strange hybrids have shown up in your markets? I know that we are probably all getting some of this stuff whether we like it or not. I tend to buy organic prepared goods but can't really control that when eating out, etc. Oh, and a funny fruit story. I bought a honeydew melon today as well. When I was unpacking groceries, I noticed my dog staring up at the counter where the melon was sitting and sniffing furiously. So I held it for her to sniff. Then put it on the ground to see what she would do with it. She sniffed, she licked. She was all excited about it. But couldn't decided if it was a toy or food. When I went to pick it up and put it back on the counter, she wrapped her front paws around it and was trying to figure out how to bite it. She's a Boston Terrier so you can get a visual of that. Strange dog. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 1, 2004 Report Share Posted August 1, 2004 That's hilarious. We have those types of fruits at our grocery stores here as well. I don't mind one of our plum freaked up things. It's actually quite tasty. One of my old Elementary teachers made a cucumber/watermelon when she was a little girl by accident. I heard it was wonderful, and organic. She's a major hippy. but not a vegetarian. I never got how that is possible? Coco morgaana [morgaana] Sunday, August 01, 2004 12:20 PM franken vegetables & fruits Today at the market they suckered me into buying pluots by having freshly cut samples available. What's a pluot? It's a cross between a plum and an apricot. Although it seems mostly plum-like. If you scroll down on this page http://familytreefarms.com/flavor_safari_frame.html you'll see the Dapple Dandy which is what I got. I know I've also had the asparagus/broccoli hybrid, apple pears and who knows what else. How do you guys feel about these things? And what kind of strange hybrids have shown up in your markets? I know that we are probably all getting some of this stuff whether we like it or not. I tend to buy organic prepared goods but can't really control that when eating out, etc. Oh, and a funny fruit story. I bought a honeydew melon today as well. When I was unpacking groceries, I noticed my dog staring up at the counter where the melon was sitting and sniffing furiously. So I held it for her to sniff. Then put it on the ground to see what she would do with it. She sniffed, she licked. She was all excited about it. But couldn't decided if it was a toy or food. When I went to pick it up and put it back on the counter, she wrapped her front paws around it and was trying to figure out how to bite it. She's a Boston Terrier so you can get a visual of that. Strange dog. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 1, 2004 Report Share Posted August 1, 2004 I LOVE PLUOTS! I like the fact that they taste like plums, but have a firmer flesh and are not so tart. Although you don't exactly say so, you seem to be implying that hybrids are somehow sinister or dangerous- the phrase " whether we like it or not " indicates this. If I'm wrong, though, feel free to say so. Hybrids are nothing new. A hybrid is something that has been cross-bred, not something that has been genetically engineered.. Broccoli and cauliflower, I believe, are cultivars that came from one common ancestor- they were selectively bred into the vegetables we know today. So, yes, every vegetable we eat has, at some point, been selectively bred. That's agriculture. morgaana wrote: Today at the market they suckered me into buying pluots by having freshly cut samples available. What's a pluot? It's a cross between a plum and an apricot. Although it seems mostly plum-like. If you scroll down on this page http://familytreefarms.com/flavor_safari_frame.html you'll see the Dapple Dandy which is what I got. I know I've also had the asparagus/broccoli hybrid, apple pears and who knows what else. How do you guys feel about these things? And what kind of strange hybrids have shown up in your markets? I know that we are probably all getting some of this stuff whether we like it or not. I tend to buy organic prepared goods but can't really control that when eating out, etc. Mail is new and improved - Check it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 1, 2004 Report Share Posted August 1, 2004 You know, honestly, I don't know at which point something crosses over from being bred to being genetically modified. A lot of people would argue that there's no difference. I don't know enough about it to take a strong position. Researching a little I found this link with arguments for and against from a Frontline special Harvest of Fear. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest/exist/arguments.html I mean, crossing a plum and an apricot is one thing. But what about inserting bacteria genetic material into a vegetable's dna? What if an animal's genetic material is used? Would that fruit/vegetable still be vegan? There is no label on food packaging telling you exactly what kind of modifications were made. Really I'm mostly just thinking out loud here and wondering what other people are thinking. I think it would be nice to know how the food has been modified so I can make an informed decision as to whether or not I want to eat it. But then again I also eat at restaurants and really have to blindly trust that if they say something is vegetarian, that it indeed is. Okay, now I'm just rambling.... Laura On Aug 1, 2004, at 8:47 PM, reptile grrl wrote: > I LOVE PLUOTS! I like the fact that they taste like plums, but have a > firmer flesh and are not so tart. > > Although you don't exactly say so, you seem to be implying that > hybrids are somehow sinister or dangerous- the phrase " whether we like > it or not " indicates this. If I'm wrong, though, feel free to say so. > > Hybrids are nothing new. A hybrid is something that has been > cross-bred, not something that has been genetically engineered.. > Broccoli and cauliflower, I believe, are cultivars that came from one > common ancestor- they were selectively bred into the vegetables we > know today. > > So, yes, every vegetable we eat has, at some point, been selectively > bred. That's agriculture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 1, 2004 Report Share Posted August 1, 2004 morgaana wrote: >You know, honestly, I don't know at which point something crosses over from being bred to being genetically modified. I described it pretty clearly. Crossbreeding is not the same as genetic engineering. >A lot of people would argue that there's no difference. Well, those people are ignorant. There is a world of difference between a)inserting a beef gene into a tomato, and b)crossing a tomato with a potato (which gets you The Amazing Potato-Tomato Plant. Yes, really. It grows both on one plant.) The former is genetic modification, whereas the latter is selective breeding. >I mean, crossing a plum and an apricot is one thing. Yes, and that one thing is called selective breeding. >But what about inserting bacteria genetic material into a vegetable's dna? What if an animal's genetic material is used? That's not selective breeding- that's biological engineering. >I think it would be nice to know how the food has been modified so I can make an informed decision as to whether or not I want to eat it. Well, you can't always know whether or not a food has been gentically engineered, because laws (at least in the US) do not at this time require such labeling. Many foods are so labeled, though- they are called " genetically modified organisms/ " If the label says " non-GMO " , then you are eating something that does not come from a genetically modified organism. Probably. However, you can be quite sure that every vegetable that you have ever eaten, in your entire life, has been the result of selective breeding. Selective breeding is the reason that humans became successful at agriculture. - priscilla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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