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Author Topic: Avocado's Yes or NO?!  (Read 7979 times)

Jullienne

  • Joined Apr 2016
Avocado's Yes or NO?!
« on: August 12, 2016, 01:02:44 pm »
I came across this article online just before; I must say I was very shocked indeed! Although not a fan of avocado's I was told that they are good for helping to lose weight. I have a feeling this has really put me off them forever.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/12/hispters-handle-unpalatable-truth-avocado-toast?CMP=share_btn_tw
boast not yourself of tomorrow; for you know not what a day may bring forth. Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips. proverbs 27 verses 1-2.

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
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Re: Avocado's Yes or NO?!
« Reply #1 on: August 12, 2016, 01:38:08 pm »
They are delicious but you put on weight if you eat a lot of them.  Loads of calories but as much nutrients as a steak

But this is certainly true - "The fact of the matter is that the further away from home our food comes, the less chance we have of interrogating its origins and its impact on its native environment and workforce. "
« Last Edit: August 12, 2016, 01:40:06 pm by doganjo »
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Avocado's Yes or NO?!
« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2016, 03:22:53 pm »
For me the whole point of growing our own food is so we don't have to import, with all the attendant problems.  I see it as a result of the 'me me more more' society that makes people want the 'exclusive' foods and the latest fad to serve up at their dinner parties, or pop in the kids' lunch boxes.
In the final paragraph of the article, British grown food is praised, with good reason.  The food we can grow here is wonderfully healthful, uses few road miles and covers all nutritional needs without further damage to the environment.  We still have problems with harvesting though.  For example kale, which is grown in the Fens (or the Sto Plains according to Terry Pratchett) relies on migrant workers who are low paid and live in temporary accommodation - not nearly as bad a situation as the article reports from S America, but not perfect either.  Fortunately technology might be the answer here.

Do I eat avocados?  I have done, but I now avoid all imported food, such as French beans from Kenya, when our gardens could be full of them, and apples and lamb from NZ.  It's possible to find products which don't use palm oil, the cultivation of which is responsible for massive destruction of the rain forest, and the habitat for many species such as Orang Utans.  People all over the world have to earn their livings, and it's up to us in richer societies to help them to find a way to do this without damaging our planet beyond repair.  Just banning selected foods would be vastly unfair to those who have invested in growing methods which they thought were fine - once the system is set up, it would mean destitution for the farmers and migrant workers if the rug was pulled out from under their feet.  There are so many variables and aspects to take into consideration, that simply not buying a product is extremely simplistic.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Ina

  • Joined Feb 2012
  • South Aberdeenshire
Re: Avocado's Yes or NO?!
« Reply #3 on: August 12, 2016, 03:39:25 pm »
Isn't it the same with every commercially grown popular food? Think of the Amazon and beef production, or soy beans... Or quinoa, another fad food that's turning into a problem.
And whatever you say, kale simply isn't a replacement for avocados...  ;) (Although I do grow it in my own garden, and I do eat it - actually more often than I fancy it, but I can't afford to buy avocados anyway!)

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Avocado's Yes or NO?!
« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2016, 03:45:28 pm »
I certainly don't see kale as a replacement for avocados.  Kale has always been here, avocados are a passing fad, and the two are not interchangeable in use.  Kale is also a bit of a fad food amongst certain groups who don't grow it themselves but see it as some sort of superfood, as they do avocados.  I blame the TV chefs  :innocent:
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

pgkevet

  • Joined Jul 2011
Re: Avocado's Yes or NO?!
« Reply #5 on: August 12, 2016, 04:38:52 pm »
My view is that this is all another manifestation of folk being too grand, too self-centred and bluntly too well off and think that everything is a 'right'.. an attitude promoted in the west by busines and media and hangers-on in the scramble for even more wealth. The third world is another pawn of it's own governments and those businesses that take an ecosystem that works and 'improve' it.
Remember the recent bit about 'who will pick our fruit' if immigration is controlled - talk about too grand to roll up a sleeve and too dependant on cutting costs to maximise profit.
There's vast tracts of land unused Uk that just need a little lateral thinking 'cos there's little justification for importing food and fruit apart from what really should be conisdered luxuries...like your avacados, even bananas unless they're grown a lot closer to home. The so-called global economic crisis led to large amounts of spanish citrus being left to rot - uneconomic to pick - so instead it's shipped in from ay further away. The same nonsense applies to everyone carrying a mobile phone etc - they're there to make someone else money. Life went on when you carried 4 pence in your pocket for a rare emergency call. Unless this pyramid-sale way of life gets curbed it has to fall apart
Rant over

waterbuffalofarmer

  • Joined Apr 2014
  • Mid Wales
  • Owner of 61 Mediterranean water buffaloes
Re: Avocado's Yes or NO?!
« Reply #6 on: August 12, 2016, 05:30:40 pm »
I read a very interesting book called animal, vegetable, mineral (I think it was called). In this book the writer only lives almost self sufficently, in America her homeland, for about 1 year. She buys products from her local farmer's markets and grows the vast majority herself. She was concerned about air miles, by bringing in exotic foods which were helping to destroy the enviroment and the fact of animal welfare being an issue too.  She says that by the end of the year they didn't miss foods non seasonal or exotic and could have carried on, I do believe that they grow most of their own food still. The problem in the earth now is that people want things out of season, which requires importation and huge air miles/sea miles too, therefore polluting the enviroment, or helping to.  I agree that as a nation we should be growing a lot of food ourselves and only importing things we can't grow over here. It is built upon convenience, of everyone concerned, but the biggest problem here is sustainability; If they grew these avocado's sustainably then this would not be an issue. The problem is that these countries do rely quite heavily on export for their income and where there is huge demand you can expect this, it's the same with drug growers in the middle east. Where there is demmand there will be more destruction and devastation, the problem is with the demmand. Personally I don't like avocado's, but I do love almonds and other foods which are also causing big problems. I think the answer is do eat them but not as much, therefore decreasing demmand and supply. I did hear in the news not long ago that Britain imports 75% of its food, ludicrous I know, compared with how little % it was during and after the second world war.
the most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, loving concern.

Steph Hen

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Angus Scotland.
Re: Avocado's Yes or NO?!
« Reply #7 on: August 13, 2016, 07:29:15 am »
Not getting it here. For those dedicated few that never eat any bananas, pineapples, mango or other exotic fruit, maybe occasional citrus from Europe only and certainly never anything out of season that can be grown in the uk a genuine Well Done! I try my bit, eat Scottish or UK meat and veg where I can, but my husband expects apples and pears on the table most of the year round.

There's no need to fear or criticise the nutrient content of avacado, they are rich sources of fats and vits, unlike most fruit and vegetables.

As for the problems with deforestation, slavery, harm of activists for fair trade, etc, I struggle to believe humanity is worse because of the crop, and if it wasn't about avocados, it would be something else, whether soya, dope or beef cattle. These are BIG problems, and I don't have the answers, but I don't think they can/should be blamed on the fruit being grown, just as easy to criticise any crop. Buy fair trade if you want to feel better.

To some extent organic, locally sourced, few hens for the garden, the good life, etc, have been branded 'fads' I've always wanted to be more self sufficient, and I've always enjoyed eating avacado, does that make either better or OK because I got on bord before publicity on Twitter?

Want an alternative so you can give up? I've found that ripe haws taste and look like tiny avacados - Dunno if they're safe to eat, seem to be ok, but you'd need SO many to make a delicious bowl of guacamole!




SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Avocado's Yes or NO?!
« Reply #8 on: August 13, 2016, 08:25:47 am »
What are you meaning by 'haws', Steph Hen?  Haws to me are the fruit of the hawthorn, which are little red berry-like things.  Rather woody and acid-tasting, but can be used as an ingredient in wine-making.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

devonlady

  • Joined Aug 2014
Re: Avocado's Yes or NO?!
« Reply #9 on: August 13, 2016, 09:39:25 am »
And chutney, sauce and jelly, Sally.

Steph Hen

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Angus Scotland.
Re: Avocado's Yes or NO?!
« Reply #10 on: August 13, 2016, 04:49:49 pm »
I eat them when they come ripe rather than once they've dedicated out, they are green and fleshy inside, not woody till later.

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Avocado's Yes or NO?!
« Reply #11 on: August 13, 2016, 08:40:29 pm »
I eat them when they come ripe rather than once they've dedicated out, they are green and fleshy inside, not woody till later.

Well I shall try some!  Maybe when I've moved back down south....
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Alex_

  • Joined Jul 2016
Re: Avocado's Yes or NO?!
« Reply #12 on: August 15, 2016, 10:40:46 am »
Avocados are great for you and are full of healthy fats, It is even a good starter food for babies moving on to solids.

Once you have brought avocado from the supermarket you put cocktail sticks in the side of the stone and let it rest in a jam jar filled with water.

After some time you will see roots develop and it will start to produce shoots. it will then need a warm spot in the greenhouse/conservatory and additional heat in winter will serve it well.

It will take years to produce flowers and there is no guarantee it will ever fruit. I also believe it needs a male tree and a female tree to reproduce.

In one year I got about 2ft - 2.5ft of growth. but I didn't give it heat over winter so it died off and the new shoot it put out this spring unfortunately died.

avocados are poisonous to most animals: Birds, goats and dogs I know for certain. Not sure about pigs.

Fun Fact: Avocados are only alive today thanks to humans. The prehistoric animals that used to eat them would pass the stones and from there they would grow (that's why it helps to use sandpaper to propagate them yourselves) . When those animals went extinct humans planted them to keep them alive

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Avocado's Yes or NO?!
« Reply #13 on: August 15, 2016, 11:30:52 am »
My aunt in Cambridge would find loads of germinated avocados in her compost bin - she treated them as weeds.  Maybe that's the best place to propagate them.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

waterbuffalofarmer

  • Joined Apr 2014
  • Mid Wales
  • Owner of 61 Mediterranean water buffaloes
Re: Avocado's Yes or NO?!
« Reply #14 on: August 15, 2016, 12:38:13 pm »
My aunt in Cambridge would find loads of germinated avocados in her compost bin - she treated them as weeds.  Maybe that's the best place to propagate them.
Yes I read that, as they like a hot humid enviroment. You can grow them in the south of England/cornwall area?
the most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, loving concern.

 

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