Re: ok, fine, I eat COMPOSTED, RECYCLED manure
A good apple is one that decomposes and rots. Without this mechanism there would be no apples. It is the same for all seed bearing fruit. From a plant's perspective attracting animals to eat it and disperse its seed is good so is a decaying fruit that provides moisture and various nutrients to the emerging seedling. I would not be interested in eating a forever fruit - anyone for a
flavor savr tomato®? Yummy they resist spoilage.
Just because we as consumers don't want our veggies and fruits to rot before we eat them does not mean that long lasting food is objectively better. It might be more economical, more appealing to the consumer but not necessarily better in terms of health and nutrition.
Would we say that the golden delicious is a superior apple to the mac because it has higher brix readings? Or that the granny smith is "better" than the jonathan because you can store it twice as long . I wonders, does this make it twice as good?
Just to be clear I have not said that brix readings are of zero value, my position is that it is of little value to the kitchen consumer even under optimal conditions. That the mantra
high brix = good/no insects is wrong and that for the farmer the brix readings don't really tell you much unless, too many unknowns affect the value, and unless they have taken a history of previous readings for several seasons it does little good. They must also recognize that aiming for the highest brix value for every product is nonsensical.
I said that in a single field with a single crop and a farmer that has
documented severals seasons worth of readings with accompanying notes on quality and flavor then brix readings can be of some value, just taking a reading with the idea that higher is better is wrong. The average consumer, I think is wasting their time and money.