I don't get why suddenly all the garlic in CA is from China!

[K8-EEE]

I just don't understand the economics of it, Gilroy "garlic capital of the world" is still right up there by San Jose but I had to go to 4 markets before finally getting some "grown in CA" garlic. How can it possibly be cheaper to send garlic from halfway around the world, than from just upstate a ways? It's not like the CA agricultural sector pays their workers big salaries, it's mostly illegal labor exploited for the cheapest wages. So what gives? Frankly after all the nightmare stories about drywall etc. I don't want to eat stuff from there if I can help it, the water is polluted in many place so how do I know if the garlic is OK?

[Skittles]

1. Chinese garbage is EVERYWHERE

[secondwind]

2. I don't blame you. It appears that our shrimp is from Vietnam or someplace else, and our

salmon is "raised" in China. I don't buy any of this crap, as a matter of fact, I'm almost down to nuts and fruits!

[Tunkamerica]

3. i was looking at seafood the other day at the grocery store

and all of it was from thailand and vietnam.

[AsahinaKimi]

78. OH MY GAWD

ALL THAT FOOD FROM ASIA IS EVIL!!!! :sarcasm:

Seriously, I love Gilmore Garlic, and yes we should have more of it in California. Maybe we are lucky not to have Durian fruit in our market places... California should be growing more veggies and fruits, but we haven't had a hell of a lot of rain lately. Blame it on global warming, but most places in California are turning into desert, if they are not so already. I can imagine the Wine vineyards will soon be affected soon enough. I even saw photos of oranges frozen recently in southern California.

[nebenaube]

5. What? You want shrimp from the Gulf? n/t

[GoCubsGo]

19. Not a whole lot of difference, actually.

That farm-raised shrimp from Thailand and Vietnam comes from some equally dirty waters. Maybe no oil, but lots of other nasty stuff, including sewage. And, god knows what's in the shrimp pellets they feed the shrimp.

[PearliePoo2]

23. exactly right...

The water used in those shrimp farms is so nasty, it has to be treated with massive amounts of antibiotics to ensure the shrimp live just long enough to be harvested.
The water is often a bright Malachite green from it's use as a pesticide and fungicide.
bleeechhh....
:puke:

[Dappleganger]

45. Our son catches our shrimp for us.

He and his buddies have their favorite spots and they go out once every other month or so. We're in NE FL, btw (Atlantic side).

[KurtNYC]

33. don't want shrimp at all since it basically the cockroach of the sea

bottom-feeding = yuck

[immoderate]

65. Next thing you know -- you're part of biology.

Eewww!

--imm

[Raine]

4. Disgraceful and no wonder our economy

is down the crapper. :mad:

[defendandprotect]

6. Exactly... and I constantly ask ... here's the answer I got from the guy

who puts out veggies at Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck, NJ ....

Allegedly, the growing seasons are only 3/4 months .... what??

So California garlic will be on their shelves 3 months --

ACTUALLY, it only usually says "US" -- they don't specifically say "California" -- ???


Then, the Mexican crop comes in and it will be on the shelf 3/4 months --

Don't recall if their last crop is China ... Maybe Peru?

But as I constantly now look out at the veggies down there -- big place for

vegetables -- more and more of the stuff is from OUTSIDE the US ...


Kept asking about CA Naval oranges which I thought hey used to have year round --

they said, out of season -- but I really thought that CA had trouble with their organge

crops at one point -- when they came back, it was a weak and expensive crop.

Getting better now as to flavor and price.


Over Xmas -- Asparagus from Peru -- $4.49 or $4.99 a pound?


Bananas -- I'm positive that the major manufacturers which switched to also doing

"organic" are destroying the organic crop. Whole Food switched from the original organic

growers and went with the big guys. But -- overall -- banana crops aren't good.

And, very poorly handled.

[Le Taz Hot]

9. California Naval Oranges

are not year 'round. Navel oranges are harvested roughly in the late Fall/Winter/Early Spring. Valencia oranges are harvested in late Spring through Summer. Because of the climate differences up and down the state, ripening times can vary pretty widely among each variety.

I believe it was Florida oranges that were largely wiped out this year. California's are just fine. There's been some flooding in the fields which doesn't hurt the trees but it delays the time that workers can get into the field to pick them. They'll be later this year but much sweeter.

[GoCubsGo]

27. Awesome!

I tend to avoid Florida citrus, as everything I've bought from there over the past several years has been hard and mealy. Even in bad years, the CA oranges have been just fine. Glad to hear this is looking to be a better-than-average year sweetness-wise.

Looks like Texas had a bumper crop on their grapefruits, as I have been seeing all sorts of bargains on them.

[Dappleganger]

46. Our oranges did fine...

but then again we only have a few trees which makes them easier to protect. We had pulled in the last crop just before the cold set in earlier in December. Had a delicious harvest this year, btw! We don't get that many but they are very high quality (no pesticides, EVER).

[defendandprotect]

67. Thank you - !!

[Ilsa]

12. Once upon a time people had to eat seasonal foods

instead of eating their favorite foods all year. It helped for a greater variety in diet.

Garlic, though, I guess I need just about year round, like onions, etc. Having foods available year round can certainly be wonderful. Alot of our unseasonal produce comes from South American countries, I think.

[GoCubsGo]

28. Yep.

Except for the apples from New Zealand.

[Dappleganger]

50. Yes! This is what we do...

It's how I was raised. We grew or went to pick our own, then canned/froze/stored the surplus. We never had fresh strawberries 365 days a year! These things which pass for strawberries on steroids are a crime against nature. They taste nothing like the small berries we pick when they come into season.

[K8-EEE]

59. Right now here in L.A. the orange trees are bursting with fruit

So now's the time for the best CA oranges! I'm lucky that my neighbor's tree has a branch hanging over my fence, never have to buy them! I have limes and my other neighbor has grapefruit so at least we always have CA citrus regardless of whatever crappy trade deals!

[LuvNewcastle]

7. I've been shopping for a new pair

of boots recently. I wanted to buy another pair of Doc Martens, but I decided to look around first to see if there was anything comparable for a lower price. I went to Shoe Station and looked first. They had one pair made in Indonesia, the rest were made in China.

Next I went to Kohl's, all of their boots were made in China.

Then I went to Dick's Sporting Goods. One or two of their boots were made in Vietnam, all the rest in Cina.

Finally, I went to Journey's so I could get some English-made Docs. I got down there and all I could see were Chinese-made boots -- including the Docs! Seems there is practically nothing made in America or Europe anymore, and that scares the hell out of me.

[madrchsod]

13. the doc moved to china several years ago .

if you want real docs try ebay.

[LuvNewcastle]

22. Will do, thanks! n/t

[Dappleganger]

51. The only place we can find the English-made is on Ebay...

and they are usually used, but we love their shoes so much (especially dh, he's a big guy and they are heaven on his feet).

[Locrian]

52. hey! I just had the same exact experience

Just went looking for boots - EVERYTHING was china. And the "quality" is a hairs notch between the lot of them. Nothing that looks like it would last, the only main differences were "styling".

I love my Doc Martin shoes, but have been having trouble finding boots that are as wide feeling...

I used to buy Clarks shoes all the time - made in England. Fit great and last... then they changed to China, f-ed up the "fit", put in a bunch of "bumps" and crap (gimicks). Crap shoes now. Lowered the price *maybe* a few bucks but the quality / fit went down by about 200%.

[K8-EEE]

60. I know right? not to mention cheap shoes end up in the landfills

It used to be you'd buy nice shoes and keep reparing them, now even if you want to spend the money the "nice" shoes are made in China crap that fall apart after wearing them a dozen times.

[shanti]

77. i found some on ebay

but it was a few years ago. they were new too.

[Le Taz Hot]

8. I've found the same thing.

Food Maxx has the stuff from China but Winco, SaveMart and Vons carry the Gilroy garlic, at least in my area.

[notesdev]

10. Slave labor + shipping = cheaper than homegrown

If you wrapped the corpse of Lincoln in copper wire you'd have a perpetual massive power source at the rate he's spinning in that grave.

[Kip Humphrey]

25. Slave labor + shipping - Food Safety Regulations = cheaper than homegrown

[old mark]

26. Right- don't want any of them nasty safety regulaions, do we......nt

[hermetic]

11. In the Midwest

I haven't seen garlic NOT from China in over a year. And I'll tell ya what, that stuff lasts a long, long time. I doesn't turn brown or get soft. :scared:

[dbt]

14. I don't get why the US is a net food IMPORTER

and has been since 2005--unless there are (gasp!) Giant Corporations involved somehow.

:tinfoilhat:

[grilled onions]

15. You Have To Be A Garlic Label Reader These Days

ONE time I bought it not realizing where it came from. It looked perfect.Not a brown spot anywhere. It was a clustered orb to be proud of(I thought). But once I cut into it no where did I get the heady scent of garlic in the air. All I sniffed was air. When I started plopping it into the skillet, again, instead of any scent it just laid there, laughing at me in its' garlic disguise. When it was finally time for the taste test I did not hold much hope. I was right. There was NO taste. Forget any sort of garlic taste--there was no taste at all. Their garlic would be great for a photograph of garlic but for taste you would be better off eating the photograph. These days I am wiser. I can tell,usually, if it looks perfect stay away from it. I will use garlic powder if I can't find the good old USA variety. Make your demands known to the store managers. Show them by not buying the faux garlic.

[Motown_Johnny]

17. maybe you bought a variety you were unaccustomed to

http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/overview.htm

[Motown_Johnny]

16. it isn't just garlic

it is everything

we need import taxes

there is no other way to even begin to address the problem

[closeupready]

18. I don't have an answer for you, but I also purchase garlic only from the US.

Even though they sell those garlic sleeves from China all over the place. I buy NOTHING from China if I can help it. Increasingly, as you point out, I CAN'T help it. :(

[xchrom]

20. i've seen chinese garlic as well and i won't buy it. nt

[old mark]

21. Just checked some of our fruit-the apples are from here in PA, the

oranges I bought at Walmart yesterday are from Texas. The Kumquats are from Florida and strawberries from Mexico-both from Walmart. The garlic had no markings-it was loose in a bin, Bananas were from Columbia, Bosc pears marked USA-all from Walmart. I say NO produce from China here, although it's hard to find frozen seafood that is not from Thailand or somewhere in the far east...Oh, yeah-the sandwich meat I bought - cooked ham - was imported, too....from Canada.

mark

[howaboutme]

42. Every chance I get

I will gently but firmly "bust" on store managers, asst managers, clerks and mention to other customers about this issue. If you say and do nothing, it will only get worse. Movements start with people getting upset and then taking some action. They will not get started by doing nothing.

[K8-EEE]

57. Yes you're right we as consumers need to let them know

That whenever garlic is on the shopping list, we will be going to another store.

[old mark]

63. We have been making comments to management of various places we shop,

and over the last few years we noticed a real improvement in the quality of fresh produce in several of them, even our Walmart now has very good quality produce, much of it local and regional when in season. They have bins of PA corn, Georgia peaches, Florida and Texas citrus when it is available.

mark

[GoCubsGo]

24. So, it's just not my region? (A link to dried CA garlic here)

Damn. I try to avoid the Chinese stuff as much as I can. Every once in a while, I can find garlic from CA or Mexico. Even the Mexican is preferable.

You can purchase garlic powder and dehydrated garlic pieces from CA at The Spice House:
http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices-by-category/garlics

Their Black garlic is from Korea, however. All the spices I have purchased from this company have been superior. It was started by the father of the man who owns and operates Penzey's Spices, for those who are familiar with that company. It is currently run by his sister. I suspect Penzey's uses CA garlic, too. Couldn't tell from the web site. I have purchased from them in the past, and back then, they advertised CA garlic. I wouldn't be surprised if both companies use the same source.

[pruple]

29. button mushrooms too

It is hard to find canned mushrooms not from China. They are simple to grow. How can it be economical to bring them from China? They must be absolute garbage.

[Vinnie From Indy]

35. We have chinese mushrooms here in Indy

I saw that at one store the other day and pondered how it could possibly be cheaper to send mushrooms halfway across the globe than to grow them right here in Indy.

[csziggy]

66. They are re-opening the mushroom company in the next county over

That used to be the only kind of mushrooms I'd buy since they came from just a few miles over, even though the company owners were assholes. I stopped buying them when the workers tried to unionize and were locked out by the company. The company closed their doors rather than pay decent wages and allow the workers the right to negotiate.

I have not heard anything about the new owners, but I hope they are fairer (I am not holding my breath). At least there will be locally grown mushrooms and more jobs around here.

Look for mushrooms grown in Quincy, Florida!

Edited to fix subject.

[LeftinOH]

30. A lot of pre-packaged produced (cans & single-cup servings) are from China also-

I am particularly careful about 'country of origin' when buying any produce.

[jtrockville]

31. Fresh is always best, but Garlic freezes well.

You can stock up on local garlic when available, then peel and freeze in a glass jar or freezer bag.

[PearliePoo2]

32. If it says "China"on the label...

PUT IT BACK...
There are shrimp available that are wholesome and healthy.
A good constantly updated guide is at Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch.
This web-site lists all seafoods that are recommended, shrimp included. Ask your store's meat department to order these products for you or go on-line. :-)

[KurtNYC]

34. and Chinese garlic is crappy -- dry, spicy, doesn't roast well.

They are growing purple garlic in Mexico now that rivals french garlic, real flavor with minimal bite. Since moving from NYC I get my garlic from a neighbor in the Hudson Valley. Amazing stuff. Might be worth growing some.

[slackmaster]

38. The Chinese garlic I've been seeing in Mexican groceries for several years is hard-centered

It doesn't store as well as soft-centered garlic.

[Gormy Cuss]

53. If you have the space, grow your own.

It's not a terribly fussy crop. In your part of the country it needs to be planted in the fall and covered with straw to insulate it during the winter. I have plenty of friends who grow garlic every year in the Northeast -- if you're careful about curing and storing it will keep at least six and maybe as long as nine months.

[K8-EEE]

36. btw finally found CA garlic at FRESH AND EASY in Burbank

Kudos to Fresh & Easy for having CA grown garlic!!

[Codeine]

73. Non-union bastards.

This grocery retail worker prefers UFCW stores, thanks.

[slackmaster]

37. The 2-pound sack of garlic I recently bought at Costco was grown in California

Christopher Ranch.

http://www.christopherranch.com/

I plan to plant the largest cloves so I can grow a big batch of it like I did last year. Jars of pickled garlic cloves make great holiday gifts.

I am seeing Chinese garlic around, but mostly at Mexican grocery stores and my local IGA store.

[K8-EEE]

39. Yay Costco but....2 lbs???

I mean I love me some garlic but...I always have that problem with Costco like, I want 2 potatoes but I have to go to another store or get 20 lbs of potatoes, LOL..

Anyway, planting is a good idea! However if the garlic isn't organic it might be sprayed with chems to retard sprouting which would translate to rotten garlic in the ground. I've grown it before from Whole Foods organic garlic.

[slackmaster]

40. Last year I planted the best cloves from a 2-pound sack, and harvested about 10 pounds

I gave away bunches of it to individuals and charities, and pickled 12 pints.

The price of a 2-pound sack at Costco is so low that even if some goes to waste it's cheaper to buy that, freeze some, use what you want, etc. than to buy small quantities at a regular grocery store or farmer's market.

[Raksha]

48. Thanks for the link to the Christopher Ranch website.

I'm going to bookmark it. I appreciate the fact that they have the list of stores that carry it on the home page. The local Mexican market where I shop most often (because it's within walking distance) sells only Chinese garlic, but then they carry only the cheapest produce they can get, whether it's local or imported.

[howaboutme]

41. This is continuation of the same plan

that destroyed the once greatest manufacturing economy on Earth (USA), and it is being migrated to the destruction of our farms and food supply.

It is about removing national sovereignty and their pesky national laws dealing with labor and environment and replacing it all with a coalition of governments that are controlled by a coalition of financiers and multi-national corporations. The NWO was always treated as tin-foil hat stuff by the PTB and media so that we didn't think about it too much. It's coming whether we like it or not and labor will become an equalized fungible commodity without any power or organization (i.e. serfs).

[Javaman]

43. It's a half ass trade agreement...

we have been importing garlic from China for at least 6 years.

I only know this because a close friend of mine works in produce.

Just grow your own.

I have 72 bulbs right now in my garden.

They will be harvested in the spring. Once crushed, they freeze very well.

my 36 bulbs last year got us through 6 months. I'm going for a full year this time around.

If you have any questions about growing garlic PM me.

[cali]

44. here: read these articles:

http://vtdigger.org/2009/12/02/your-organic-food-made-in-china-part-1-why-you-should-give-a-hill-of-beans/

http://vtdigger.org/2009/12/02/your-organic-food-made-in-china-part-2/

[Gormy Cuss]

47. It's not so sudden. The U.S. has been a net importer of garlic since the late 1990s.

Initially that number was driven by dried garlic but by the middle of the last decade the vast majority of fresh garlic consumed in the U.S. was imported too, mostly from China and Mexico.

That Gilroy garlic capital moniker? U.S. acreage planted in garlic peaked in 1999 and has been decreasing ever since. Very little garlic is grown in Gilroy these days but CA is still the largest domestic producer of garlic.

Unless you never eat processed food and never eat out it's impossible to avoid Chinese garlic. If you want to reduce your consumption of it, shop at stores that label the source country on produce (e.g. Whole Foods, Trader Joe's)and when buying dried garlic, try to do the same (again, Trader Joe's garlic powder is labeled as California garlic powder.)

If you have access to farmer's markets or farm stands, buy garlic there. In the SF Bay area I see locally grown garlic for at least nine months out of the year. The stuff keeps better than store-bought too.

[EFerrari]

54. I'm fixing to plant a little bit as we use a lot of it.

Garlic, onions, tomatoes and cilantro later. The garden will smell like salsa.

[Gormy Cuss]

55. In our climate, garlic can go in the ground at the beginning of rainy season.

You could try some now if the weather dries out for a few days. Like slackmaster said upthread, a couple of pounds of garlic cloves yields about 10 pounds of new bulbs.

[EFerrari]

56. There's frost up here.

There has been, on and off, since Thanksgiving. My old Sunset book says we can plant garlic, onions and artichoke right now but there's ice outside. Maybe the Master Gardener has some info for us.

[Gormy Cuss]

62. Occasional frost isn't a problem after planting.

In cold parts of the country where the ground freezes for long periods it is an issue. Our frosts don't last into the middle of the day.

If the ground is saturated at planting the cloves turn to mush, but once they've been growing for a while any well drained soil is fine.I think right now our soil needs to dry out for a few days before I'd try it. The cloves will do better if the soil is dry enough to warm up during the day.

Onions can be started from seeds now if you cover the row at night. It's probably too late to find the starts(young plants sold in bunches)at nurseries but you may find six packs. It's definitely time for the chokes.

I'm waiting for the soil to dry out so that I can WEED our patches of all of the above!

[Romulox]

49. Same reason all the cars in California are from Korea and Japan?

"free trade" isn't just something that Californians do to other people.

[LynneSin]

58. I can't imagine how the garlic could be cheaper knowing the cost of getting it to there from China

It's bad enough that everyday non-food junk seems to be from China but I would prefer eating food grown here in the USA. Is that too much to ask?

[K8-EEE]

61. Yes, I understand how something manufactured like a car or TV

would be cheaper with cheap labor or whatever like I say it's not like the garlic workers are making all this money here so I don't get how it could be cheap enough to offset the voyage!

[somone]

64. Agricultural products in China are heavily polluted

by pesticides, fertilizers and chemical wastes. The barley used for Tsingtao Beer is currently imported. The Chinese don't trust their own barley.

[K8-EEE]

68. I have a friend who visits there for business

for a week at a time, both he and his wife are coming down with various health complaints. Might be a coincidence but they seemed pretty healthy before this current job!

[somone]

72. Not a good place for any extended stay

The pollution of both air and water is simply atrocious in the industrial areas - and in many large cities. Regulatory controls are either non-existent or routinely ignored. It is really criminal what the factory managers and party bosses are doing to an ancient land and its people.

[1monster]

69. Well, it is really difficult to find Florida grown oranges in Florida grocery stores...

We get a lot of navel oranges from California and other oranges from China, New Zealand, and South America. But no Florida grown navel oranges. I grant you that California navel oranges are prettier than Florida navel oranges. But Florida's taste better than anyone's.

[Nikia]

70. Some large farms went under because of cheap Chinese garlic

I work for a company that uses dehydrated garlic as an ingredient. Because some people are concerned about imported Chinse food, we tried to find domestic. It seems that they are sold out. Any appreciable amount is promised in contract for the next few years. I don't know why that doesn't encourage people to start growing garlic again.
For my own consumption, I can buy organic locally grown garlic in the fall in Wisconsin from a particuliar farmer at farmer's markets. It is extremely expensive, but much better than anything we can buy ln local grocery stores.

[jberryhill]

71. Because most of the vampires these days are also Chinese

If you have Chinese vampires, then you're going to need Chinese garlic.

[southernyankeebelle]

74. All you got to do is buy some whole garlic and plant in on the side of your house and

you will have garlic up the ying yang. My mother in law planted some a few years back. You have to dig it out but believe me it comes back every year. Just plant it off the side of your house where you can plant it. Honestly you would pay lots of money if you buy it.

[K8-EEE]

75. Well, that depends on where you live

I have had some success with it but garlic and onions are not the easiest thing to grow here in So CA. They don't like dryness or heat, so it's a winter crop for us, to be harvested by the time it starts getting hot and it never ever comes back on its own! It also doesn't like the clay soil I have so I have to grow it in raised beds.

[Catherina]

76. Just yesterday some New Dem here was belittling farmers. You gets what you pays for.

Shortage of farmers in `Garlic Capital of the World'.

GILROY, Calif. _ That savory, aromatic, delicious garlic that you lavish on your fries, steak and everything else? There's plenty of that.

But garlic farmers in the self-proclaimed Garlic Capital of the World? They're almost extinct.

Only three growers in Santa Clara County, Calif., have survived the disease, land-use pressure and brutal economics of the industry.

Louie Bonino is one of them. But Bonino, whose LJB Farms has grown garlic in San Martin, Calif., for more than 30 years, isn't sure he can hold out much longer.

"It's not very profitable anymore in agriculture here in South County," he said. "We just barely make it. Just getting by."

...

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-166984259.html

That was back in 2007. Fast forward to 2009

...

“There is one garlic grower left in Gilroy — he has probably 30 acres in the corner of a vegetable field,” says Christopher.

...

For Christopher Ranch and California garlic growers, China is a nemesis.

A few years ago, China overnight flooded the U.S. with fresh and dehydrated garlic, and many SJV growers were expecting the crop to disappear.

Christopher says China went from a measly 50,000 pounds of garlic a decade ago to 2 million to 3 million pounds last year, and for the first time more fresh garlic was imported into the U.S. than was produced in California.

“For years, China didn’t have the quality to import into the U.S., and their bulbs were very small. What happened was, a group of U.S. people went over there and showed them how to grow garlic,” says Christopher, who has been to China to see firsthand what’s happening there.

...

It’s easy to tell California-grown fresh garlic from imported. Domestically-grown garlic still has roots on the bottom of the bulb, while imported garlic is cleanly-shaven of most, if not all, roots.



...

He says China is evading trade rules by allowing new garlic shippers to post a bond against any fines for dumping garlic into the U.S. below the cost of production. Established Chinese shippers must post a cash deposit against any dumping violations, but the new companies simply go out of business as soon as they are fined, and the bond is no longer valid.

“They just create another company and post another bond,” Christopher says, noting that more than $40 million in fines has not been collected.

...

http://westernfarmpress.com/quality-flavor-keeping-california-garlic-competitive-0