

The Economics of Pick-your-own Orchards - idlewords
http://www.slate.com/id/2233467/

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pasbesoin
Well, I take his point, and it is worth making to the [paraphrasing] 'SUV
driving graying hipsters who are, despite good intentions, going to Hefty
(trash bag) 2/3 of their "haul" '. People shouldn't base their choices upon
gross misunderstandings of e.g. economy and efficiency.

On the other hand, a couple of hours in an orchard is a highlight of my year.
And I suspect it is for a good many kids, as well. For my part, I can't take
the kind of crowd he describes; fortunately, I have a much more "basic", but
peaceful and beautiful, orchard in the area. One run by local folks with help
from their friends during harvest season.

Time there I find well worth the expense -- not just of the picking, but the
driving, my time, etc. And it's not like I'm incurring that expense throughout
the year for all my food. For many the kids I see, I can't help thinking it's
an invaluable lesson to actually source their own food, for once; to see where
it comes from and to be a part, even if a small one, of providing for
themselves.

The choice he describes cuts both ways. People can get a bit hung up on apple
varieties. On the other hand, the varieties presently commercially available
represent a small fraction of what once found itself distributed throughout
the country; so many of those "heritage" varieties have been squeezed out by
large scale, commercial production. And so much of that commercial production
ends up with flavor that is a pale shadow of what you can find in other
varieties not harvested to optimize hardiness under mechanical manipulation,
transportation, and storage.

At my local orchard, Golden Delicious is my preference. They have other
varieties, but the trees, terroir, and whatever else make the Golden Delicious
a terrific choice. Good eating, but I find they hold up admirably in a pie, as
well. Variety need not create a tyranny (of choice). For me, the best thing in
the neighborhood is Golden Delicious. And I find ways to work with that,
rather than worrying about all that I might be missing.

