Schneier on Security

Roger • November 17, 2006 9:39 PM

@Anonymous:

My understanding is that organically grown vegetables tend to be far more irregularly shaped (squidy) than their mass produced fertilised supermarket counterparts.

Squiddliness of vegetables is mainly caused by stones in the soil. That has nothing to do with fertiliser, but how carefully the farmer tills his fields. To a lesser degree, squiddliness is also caused by parasite attack. Of course a misshapen vegetable that is full of carrot fly is unacceptable regardless of how it was grown.

Most supermarkets don’t wan’t to sell ‘ugly’ vegetables, regardless of nutrional value, because most buyers are put off by irregularly shaped vegetables.

Supermarkets are put off odd-shaped vegetables because they have to clean the soil from them before offering them. It is very hard to clean all the crevices of a squiddly vegetable, and thus wastes a lot of water (and time).

Buyers are put off odd-shaped vegetables because they are impossible to peel properly. Not a fatal flaw if they have been thoroughly washed, but see above re washing…