4 ms·
In California, yes, because they are grown naturally there, and growing in a vertical farm seems kind of pointless, except as novelty. But on the East Coast, v
by mediaman 6y ago
In California, yes, because they are grown naturally there, and growing in a vertical farm seems kind of pointless, except as novelty.
But on the East Coast, vertical farms can serve a useful economic purpose for some crops which would otherwise be trucked in from the Salinas Valley.
- busterarm 6y agoThe transportation costs of produce have been demonstrated to be negligible. Imported produce is typically aggressively price-competitive with the local stuff.
- alpha_squared 6y agoCould that be because we don't yet have a carbon offset cost for transportation? I recognize that the actual cost would be controversial and mostly subjective, but I always wonder about how many things are 'free' or nearly just because there are otherwise hidden costs elsewhere (such as the environment).
- busterarm 6y agoThis math has already been done. Even if you figured the carbon offset cost, transporting agriculture still beats out all of these alternatives by a lot. The math is only becomes slightly favorable to the subset of plants with high water content and lower sunlight tolerance. You can grow tomatos at nearly break-even. A diverse set of agriculture that can sustain people with balanced diets? Not a chance.
- epistasis 6y agoThat trucking process means getting produce optimized for transport, rather than produce optimized for flavor. The costs are not only in dollars, but in quality.
- busterarm 6y agoYou're telling me that produce grown in its optimal environmental conditions and flash-frozen at harvest is going to taste worse than something grown in a truck in a parkinglot in Brooklyn? I call bullshit. It's pretty much universally agreed that frozen fruit is fresher and often tastes better, for example. Flavor is more about varieties being selected for mass production rather than their growing method and transportation. You can transport heirloom tomatoes. Nothing stopping you.
- 1helloworld1 6y agoI don't think you can flash freeze leafy greens and still maintain the texture. Have you eaten flash frozen lettuce for salad?
- Scoundreller 6y agoI mean like, why not? I think the issue with leafy greens is that they're fairly stable, travel well and grow well/quickly in greenhouses, so it's not worth flash freezing them.
- nicoburns 6y agoBecause they're mostly water, and water expands when frozen, destroying the structure of the plant.
- busterarm 6y agoYou know what else destroys the structure of the plant? Chewing.
- Scoundreller 6y agoThat’s a part of the experience though. Freezing will preserve the nutrients, but risks the “mouthfeel”. But if you’re going to blend it, who cares.
- silicon2401 6y agoNot negligible in terms of pollution
- busterarm 6y agoDo you think that LED grow systems and the nutrients/chemicals being used to help grow these plants are pollution-free?
- iancmceachern 6y agoYeah, but not as fresh or tasty. Those that can pay more for the better option will.
- lmm 6y agoHistorically they haven't - imported vegetables have beaten locally-grown ones handily. What's changed?