Thread

1. legitster · 1790630747 · focus · HN ↗

   My parents live in a massive fruit growing region of the country. Just this year, 2 of the major packing firms in the county both declared bankruptcy. It's not just the trade war, but years of shrinking seasonal workers that fell off to a trickle as well.

   The knock on effect is massive. The seasonal workers supported a large permanent workforce - and more importantly tax revenues in the county are collapsing.

   But the really important thing to understand is that once the industry is gone, it's gone for a long time. The other markets competing with the US are already expanding their industries to fill the void. Once those trees are planted, they produce fruit for several decades to come.

   1. TheJoeMan · 1790646146 · focus · HN ↗

      From a layman perspective, American fruit growers refused to change with the times. How long are they still trying to make the “Red Delicious” apple work? Another ex-major packer I know of made the peach fruit cups, which people have been catching on are just filled with corn syrup. But these have been long term purchasing trends, yet the growers seemed blindsided by the packers ceasing operations.

      1. jimbob45 · 1790646898 · focus · HN ↗

         I guess I’m out of the loop. What’s with the Red Delicious hate?

         1. chihuahua · 1790647202 · focus · HN ↗

            It's mealy, bitter, and has a thick unpleasant skin. Many articles call it "the worst apple in the world." Decades of engineering it for transportability at the cost of taste and edibility are to blame.

            But the U.S. has created new, much better apples, like Cosmic Crisp (2020)

            1. phoghed · 1790647438 · focus · HN ↗

               Honeycrisp is still the king, and afaik farmers hate growing it.

               1. chihuahua · 1790648739 · focus · HN ↗

                  I've read that Honeycrisp is difficult to grow, that's probably why.

                  Cosmic Crisp is much easier to grow, at least in the climate it was developed for/in. Those 2 varieties are somewhat similar, although I find Honeycrisp a bit more subtle in flavor and enjoyable, while Cosmic Crisp has just a strong sweet/tart flavor.

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