Why Do We Have Strawberries in the Winter?

I was really disappointed when I opened my daily news email theSkimm this morning. There’s always a feature at the end, which often defines a common acronym. GMO is a pretty commonly used acronym and many can’t explain what the letters stand for, so it was bound to come up some time.

Here’s the definition from theSkimm on February 5, 2015:

And here’s a more accurate definition:

GMO: Stands for “Genetically Modified Organism.” A GMO plant is bred as a result of plant scientists identifying one desirable trait (like natural resistance to a certain insect) and breeding it into another species of plant. Do you like papayas? You can thank GMOs.

 

Unfortunately, theSkimm didn’t exactly hit the definition on the mark. In fact, they probably unintentionally confused a lot of people about what a GMO really is.

Here’s the low-down on GMOs:

• There are only 8 species of plants that have been genetically modified and are commercially available: corn, soybeans, alfalfa, papayas, sugar beets, cotton, squash, and canola.
  • 2/5/2018 edit: There are now 10 genetically modified foods available in the U.S. We’ve added the non-browning Arctic apple and a variety of Simplot potatoes, which have better tolerance for cold storage, bruise less, and resist late blight, which is the disease that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s.
• Natural pest resistance helps plants fight off pests on their own. This means that fewer pesticides are needed. And when they are used, they are sprayed on crops in the amount of ounces per acre. Read more about why farmers use pesticides.
• This pest resistance means that there is less damage to crops throughout the growing season, which means higher yields and healthier plants.
• GMO plants aren’t injected with genes. These genes (also referred to as “traits”) are bred into the plant’s existing DNA.
• For more information, check out GMOAnswers.com.

 

So why do we have “freakishly red and big” strawberries available in the winter months?

Strawberries, along with many fruits and vegetables, are grown in warm climates. So in the colder months, grocery stores have them shipped from warmer climates. This could be from another state or another country.

In fact, most of our fruits and vegetables year-round come from other states and countries. Some places are better suited to growing certain types of crops than other places. For example, lots of oranges come from Florida rather than Michigan because Florida has the warm environment year-round that orange trees like. Those trees wouldn’t survive a Michigan winter. We also demand some fruits and vegetables year-round, whether or not they’re actually in season. So while you can buy strawberries from Michigan in the spring or peaches from Illinois in the summer, they usually come from warmer climates (like California, Mexico, or South America) when they’re out of season in the Midwest.

Check out my blog post Keeping It Local if you want to learn more about why all food isn’t grown locally.

 

Now you know why we have bright red, delicious strawberries in the winter. It’s always great when mainstream media talks about what’s going on in the agriculture and food industries, and I’m looking forward to more ag and food definitions from theSkimm in the future. : )