Seed of an idea

12 years ago

Seed of an idea

    Most Aroostook County kids have planted at least one of those odd tomato-green fruits that appear attached to discarded potato vines at harvest. These do not grow potatoes as we expect potatoes to appear, of course. In Aroostook County, as elsewhere, potatoes come from potatoes. In early spring, folks bundle up and report to potato houses to “cut seed.”

They slice and dice seed potatoes into smaller pieces, each with multiple eyes that can sprout and grow potato plants once buried in the fields. Because of vegetative reproduction, these will ultimately produce tubers genetically identical to the Mother plant. Common practice tells us this is where potatoes come from; there are few surprises in the crop.
    What a shock to learn that the lowly potato, “star of stage and screen” on just about every household dinner plate in The Crown of Maine, has a GMO (genetically modified organism) counterpart, tubers grown from seeds that possess snippets of genetic information taken from bacteria. Trans-genetics make the resulting potato plant resistant to certain chemicals. GMO potato plants can be sprayed to kill weeds or pathogens without harming the desired crop; in some cases, the plants possess the ability to kill the bugs that eat them.
    Many GMO’s currently appear on grocery shelves, but a consumer needs an avocation as “CSI—Grocery Store” to learn about the food on those shelves. Well over 90% of corn and soy grown in this country is genetically modified. GMO’s are fed to us directly as vegetables and as ingredients in processed food or indirectly as livestock feed, passed along as red meat, poultry, and eggs. GMO’s are sold mostly without our okay. And in many cases, without our knowledge.
    The issue is far from settled. There is no requirement for providing information on the label of a GMO product sold in the stores. As a consumer, however, it is reasonable that you want to know what you are eating. There is a solution. If you come to the Aroostook Centre Mall parking lot on any Saturday morning between Mothers Day and Columbus Day, you can purchase fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs, bakery goods, jams and preserves and a number of other foodstuffs from the folks that grew them. You can ask directly what they are, how they were grown, and what genes are included in the food you buy. You can take home fresh flavorful food that you are confident is what it claims to be and nothing else. A potato should be a potato!
    This column is written by members of the Presque Isle Farmers’ Market. For more information, visit their website at https://sites.google.com/site/presqueislefarmersmarket/home.