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0 pointsggm3y ago0 comments

The supply chain logistics which let asparagus importers get stock from Peru in the off season are the same ones which means they can't just ring up on a whim and ask for some more, in the "on" season. Australian Quarantine and Customs Inspection service is pretty strong on vegitative matter, especially live vegitative matter: You need a LOT of paperwork, to be able to bring fresh produce into Australia.

And this local supply disaster noted, we kinda like it that way.

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Andaith3y ago

What's wild to me is that apparently there's only one place on this continent that grows lettuce. It seems like a bit of an all-your-eggs-in-one-basket thing to have one valley in QLD(I think) that does lettuce for the nation, and they have some bad weather and suddenly we're all sans-lettuce.

defrost3y ago

Many rural areas in Ausralia have small scale local area market gardens, here in W.Australia most everything I eat is sourced within a 15 - 20 km radius be it flour, olive oil, lambs, oranges, etc (even the odd banana and a fw mangos) - but that's a far cry from the dedicated single crop volumes required to supply cities and for export.

Worldwide there's an issue with regions being devoted to mainly a single crop intended to supply tens of millions across several cities, often overseas.

Good when it works, better have a backup alternative when that fails.

boffinAudio3y ago

>(even the odd banana and a fw mangos)

Carnarvon represent!

10u1523y ago

Yes....and no.

Lettuce likes some pretty specific conditions. If there's one area that's perfectly suited to growing lettuce with the minimum resources (fertiliser/water etc) then grow it there. Better than trying to grow it in the desert or somewhere much too cold.

If Australians go without lettuce for a month or so nobody is going to die. Eat rocket, spinach and cabbage instead.

twicetwice3y ago

For Americans (and others?) who are OOTL, rocket == arugula. It has a bunch of other names too, apparently.

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dbetteridge3y ago

WA has plenty of lettuce, not sure where that's coming from though.

sturadnidge3y ago

Same in NSW… no $12 iceberg heads around here!

rootw0rm3y ago

Get some spinach, arugula, cabbage, or any other leafy green?

paranoidrobot3y ago

> cabbage

There was big social media/news thing when KFC announced they were replacing lettuce with cabbage on their burgers.

A lot of unhappy campers there - tbh I think if they went further and made it a nice slaw with a sharp/tangy dressing then it'd be a massive improvement to their usual soggy, greasy chicken, and undercooked/limp chips (fries)

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