"The way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than the past 10,000" -Robbert Kenner (Food Inc)
These words echoed through my mind as I went through my day after watching the documentary, Food Inc. The reality of how much modern America has changed through the past century hit me right in the gut as my daily consumption was rendered by the many things I was reminded of by this film. While I was living in Walla Walla, WA; a town that is surrounded by windmills and farm land. I learned about how fresh the strawberries are, looking at them you could obviously tell. As the hands that picked them held the juicy little fruit in his palm. He took a moment to describe to me how most of the strawberries you see in the store are "gassed", but these ones were not. The memory of those delicious berries popped back up in my mind after the "gassing" of tomatoes was shared in this documentary. The narrator mentions how, there aren't any seasons in the supermarket. All fruits and vegetables regardless of the climate are readily available to you and not just in the store, but perfectly ripened and ready for consumption regardless of how far the food has traveled. How you ask" The secret is ethylene gas.
So, I decided to do a little research of my own. This led me to find the web page Front Line Services . This site is obviously supports gassing, but describes the effects and uses. Ethylene gas is naturally produced by fruits, the "gassing" effect can even be reproduced in your own kitchen. Simply, by putting a ripe fruit like a banana which at that stage of maturity is producing plenty of gas, in a paper bag with an unripe avocado to speed up the process. This website also suggest to keep ripening climacteric fruit separate from other types of produce to minimize loss of storage life and eating quality. I have not tried this theory myself, but am very interested to see if it will work!
The fruit at the store will be kept in a temperature controlled room that has a concentrated amount of ethylene to enhance a synchronized ripening status. This ensures that when it is out for the consumer it is ready to eat. This science of using gasses to ripen fruits has been documented since the time of the Egyptians, who would gash their fruit to speed up the ripening time. Also the Chinese, who would place their pears in rooms with incense that when lit produce an amount of ethylene.
As a kid I would get oranges in my stocking. A tradition as I was told, that began around the great depression. When food was scarce at the time and it was a special treat to receive an orange. Especially where I am from in Idaho, where orange trees do not exist. I'm thankful that I can simply just walk to my nearest grocery store and have complete access to any kind of produce from anywhere across the country. Although the idea of "gassing" fruit is still a little iffy to me. I will continue to happily eat my produce that is ready for me as needed.
So, I decided to do a little research of my own. This led me to find the web page Front Line Services . This site is obviously supports gassing, but describes the effects and uses. Ethylene gas is naturally produced by fruits, the "gassing" effect can even be reproduced in your own kitchen. Simply, by putting a ripe fruit like a banana which at that stage of maturity is producing plenty of gas, in a paper bag with an unripe avocado to speed up the process. This website also suggest to keep ripening climacteric fruit separate from other types of produce to minimize loss of storage life and eating quality. I have not tried this theory myself, but am very interested to see if it will work!
The fruit at the store will be kept in a temperature controlled room that has a concentrated amount of ethylene to enhance a synchronized ripening status. This ensures that when it is out for the consumer it is ready to eat. This science of using gasses to ripen fruits has been documented since the time of the Egyptians, who would gash their fruit to speed up the ripening time. Also the Chinese, who would place their pears in rooms with incense that when lit produce an amount of ethylene.
As a kid I would get oranges in my stocking. A tradition as I was told, that began around the great depression. When food was scarce at the time and it was a special treat to receive an orange. Especially where I am from in Idaho, where orange trees do not exist. I'm thankful that I can simply just walk to my nearest grocery store and have complete access to any kind of produce from anywhere across the country. Although the idea of "gassing" fruit is still a little iffy to me. I will continue to happily eat my produce that is ready for me as needed.
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