Burbank's New Varieties

I usually giggle a bit about the unrelenting hype over the supposed evils of genetically-modified crops. Since the dawn of civilization, man has been continuously cultivating new varieties of fruit and vegetables. In fact, the very notion of planting is a type of environmental disruption. Before we knew much about genes, it took generations of unsuccessful attempts before a combination produced useful new characteristics. Much of the fruit we eat, even organically-grown, bears as much resemblance to the original species as a poodle does to a wolf.



Yesterday, we got vegetables at a Kin's Market in the mall in uptown New Westminster. I was walking around thinking about how there is a much larger variety of produce than when I was growing up in New Hampshire. Remember when peppers came only in green? Can you recall the first time you saw a kiwi? At Kin's I even witnessed yellow and orange cut watermelon as well as the more traditional red.

I also thought I spotted something new yesterday. It was labelled a plumcot. I was about to say, "What will they think of next?" Then, I read about Luther Burbank on Wikipedia. Not only did he create the nectarine and many other plant and fruit varieties but did so about a hundred years ago!