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Re: North American Fruit Explorers (NAFEX)



As a longtime NAFEX member, I agree.  Not everyone in NAFEX does things
completely in the sustainable mode, but the percentage of sustainable
growers is higher than among general commercial growers.  One of the
members, Michael Phillips, has written a good book on organic apple growing
that is worth reading.  If you wish, I can post the review.  It's not long -
about 350 words.
-Lon Rombough
Grapes, unusual fruits, writing, more, at http://www.hevanet.com/lonrom

----------
>From: Jane Sooby <jane@ofrf.org>
>To: sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu
>Subject: North American Fruit Explorers (NAFEX)
>Date: Mon, Aug 9, 1999, 12:08 PM
>

>
>NAFEX seems a natural collaborator in the sustainable ag quest, being a
>network of fruit aficiandos who fervently believe in the power of the
>amateur to improve the quality and hardiness of fruits of all kinds. In
>"The Handbook for Fruit Explorers" (1986), Ram Fishman writes:
>
>By the end of the First World War, however, it was becoming increasingly
>apparent that we had evolved into a mass society of consumers fed by an
>ever-shrinking number of agricultural producers. The active quest for
>better fruit varieties was relegated to an elite corp of professional
>pomologists working for the universities and government agencies. The years
>that followed witnessed a drastic reduction in the variety and, in many
>respects, the quality of the fruit available in the marketplace. Scores of
>fine old cultivars became virtually extinct, as a few commercial varieties
>were allowed to dominate. Modern fuit culture became the province of
>large-scale orchardists in a few select regions, and modern fruit was rated
>primarily on appearance, shipping ability, and tolerance to prolonged cold
>storage.
> Too often the new scientific pomology and commercial orchard practices
>resulted in mediocrity for the fruit consumer. A few remembered the old
>varieties and flavors with nostalgia, but most people soon forgot and were
>content with commercial-quality fruit.
>
>NAFEX started as a network of amateur fruit growers who passed around
>bundles of letters containing growing tips, strategies, varieties, etc.
>Known as the Round Robin of Corresponding and Contributing Horticultural
>Hobbyists, it evolved into NAFEX which publishes the fruit-growers'
>newsletter "Pomona." 
>
>NAFEX has a website (http://www.nafex.org/) and maintains a library of
>materials on fruit and nut production, including many old pamphlets and
>publications. Check it out!
>
>
>Jane Sooby
>technical program coordinator
>Organic Farming Research Foundation
>P.O. Box 440
>Santa Cruz, CA  95061
>831-426-6606
>831-426-6670 fax
>831-460-9713 home
>www.ofrf.org
>jane@ofrf.org
>
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