From jane@ofrf.org Mon Aug  9 23:55:33 1999
Date: Mon, 09 Aug 1999 12:08:15 -0700
From: Jane Sooby <jane@ofrf.org>
To: sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu
Subject: North American Fruit Explorers (NAFEX)


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

To Unsubscribe:  Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg".  If you receive the digest format, use the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg-digest".
To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"subscribe sanet-mg-digest".

All messages to sanet-mg are archived at:
http://www.sare.org/san/htdocs/hypermail