|
  is a New York based group dedicated to growing the seeds of edible plants, and particularly exotic ones. Our proper name is the "Rare Pit & Plant Council." We spread the word about our hobby through news-papers and magazines, with a stand at the New York Flower Show, and with a monthly newsletter.
Most people buy seeds in little paper packets from their local garden center or from a catalog. But the produce section of your supermarket is full of seeds - still inside the original fruit!
These seeds are fresh and, in most cases, at the peak of their viability.
Every time you discard a "pit," from an avocado or a mango or from any citrus fruit, you are throwing away a beautiful houseplant. When you throw out the top leaves of a pineapple, a carrot or a beet, you are depriving yourself.
Irradiation Warning
Many fruits and vegetables are irradiated when they are imported to the U.S. That means they are exposed to radioactivity to kill insect and microbial pests. The amount of radioactivity is small and short-lived. It probably doesn’t harm a person eating it. But it does mean that irradiated produce is less likely to germinate, to start growing, than non-irradiated produce.
For us as pit-growers, non-irradiated produce is the ideal. Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee an avocado or cherimoya hasn’t been zapped with radioactivity. The Whole Foods chain and Brooks Tropical Fruit Importers are two businesses that try to avoid selling irradiated produce. Let us know if you find any others. You can ask about irradiation at any produce store but the usual answer is, they don’t know (or care).
If you see the “Radura” symbol on produce, or if it is described as “electronically pasteurized” or “cold pasteurized”, you are sure it has been irradiated. It may taste good but it is a poor candidate for growing.
"The Pits" got started after the 1972 Gramercy Park Flower Show. There were about 300 avocado plants on display, and we said to each other: "There must be other pits we can grow!" We began experimenting with the pits of Mangoes, Papayas and Pineapples, and our homes soon looked like jungles. Later, we explored the ethnic markets of New York and discovered exotic pits like Ñames, Malangas, Tamarinds and Taros. In the process, we have become familiar with a lot of foods that are not part of a typical, middle-American diet.
Some "pit" plants are delicious raw - remember your first taste of ripe mango? Others require a certain amount of cooking, and may be something of an acquired taste.
We are planning to publish a newsletter for the four seasons of the year. Spring 2010 is the last issue.
Your staff:
Debbie Peterson (deb@pitplants.com): Editor
Chris Carrdus (chris@pitplants.com): Recipe, reviews and puzzles and general bon vivant.
Dr. John Hart (doc@pitplants.com): Deb's husband's nom de plume, medical, chemical and scientific - bon vivant.
Most people buy the tree to eat the fruit.
We buy the fruit to grow the tree.
| 
