Something I retained from basic anthropology class has been bugging me lately. Early humans, we were told, were primarily vegetarian. Sure, proto-man would amble across the savanna from time to time and snag a lizard or something, but most of what we consumed was plant matter. I know we all love to gnaw on a reptile, but I was always curious as to what all this vegetation consisted of. Nuts and berries, mostly, I was told.
A bit more reading revels a few specifics; fennel, for example. Evidently we, as a species, have been eating the stuff since we were knuckle-dragging chest-beaters. Brittle grass seeds and starchy plant roots are offered as vague, prehistorical favorites. Soft fruits, honey, possibly the occasional termite. It's difficult to get more concrete answers.
I'm ok with all the generalizations. I don't expect anthropologists to be able to tell me exactly what was for dinner two-and-a-bit-million years ago. What's bugging me, really, is the “berries” part of “nuts and berries.” If, historically, berries have been so plentiful that the wild supply could nourish entire packs of migratory, gangly, fur-clad hominids, why are they so bloody scarce and expensive now?
I mean, seriously, I paid $8 for a 125g punnet of raspberries. Now, I know they had to be hand-picked by virgins at the stroke of midnight during the third full moon of summer and all, but that's extortion. 
The only time in recent memory I've not used a bank cheque to purchase berries was on my last trip home to the States. There, whilst in L.A., I visited one of the many farmers' markets. Though a bit disappointed at the size (the same market, now relocated, used to attract five times the number of vendors), I was thrilled to find a plentiful supply of inexpensive, heady, vibrant berries.
I purchased a selection and scurried off to eat them with the nuts I'd earlier gathered at Whole Foods.
Let's go all primitive with this recipe.
Get cream. Whip. Make thick. Add honey. Eat berries. Me sleep now. You watch cave entrance. Good.
(Actually, I used agave nectar to sweeten the whipped cream. Not so primitive after all, huh?)
A Gripe
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6 comments:
I believe the cost of berries isn't in the growing or even picking them, it's in the inventory management and sale.
I know several places nearby were I can park a car, take a little walk and eat blackberries 'til I'm sick. There were several places near where I grew up, on the other coast, like that as well.
But bought in the stores they're picked far too early in order to give them a real shelf-life. Which means that berries bought from stores will never taste anywhere near ones you pick yourself.
Ive had the same experience this year with berries. It seems the prices are sky high, regardless of mass production imported berries or locally hand picked organic.
Those berries do look beautiful though! I love mixing fresh ones in some thick greek yogurt with honey and a crunch added with granola.
I know what you mean about berries being expensive. They were $6 a pint at many of the stands in Green City Market. I did get these AMAZING raspberries though that were completely worth it!
I'm with you on the "picking is better." I used to fill buckets of free blackberries when I was younger.
Unfortunately for me, blackberries are classified as an invasive weed in Australia and the brambles are routinely poisoned. Even if one manages to find some blackberries, there is no guarantee that they haven't been sprayed, so I'll just have to stick to the market.
On a related note: the day before our wedding, my wife and I took all of our guests to a berry farm where we picked our own berries. Each of us to the last must have eaten as many as went into our little buckets that were to be weighed and paid for. Perhaps that has something to do with the price spike...
Wow! I guess NY used to ban currants and they're still restricted. As another ex-pat (no pun intended) Idahoan I'll bet you find that one odd too.
While I don't make jelly anymore, I sort of liked the idea that I could, but I always wondered why there weren't currants in the woods here.
We do have cheap fruit here, one of the few good things about living in what I like to call the snowy hell hole all winter. This year I'm splitting a farm share for the first time, and it's pretty cool. I did get sick of greens after awhile (never thought I'd say that!).
Hey, thanks for the good wishes. I appreciate them.
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