brix testing

[Guest guest]

Alan, can you expand on this brix testing a little more. I like to

grow my own veggies in the summer around my house and would be very

interested in knowing the nutritional value. Also do you know if

there is any contamination danger from eating veggies right next to

the house? I don't like to grow my evggies too far out since I don't

know if my neighbors are organic or not. My yard looks great and is

100% organic. People have noticed and have begun to use the organic

fertilizers and bug control.

There is a great organic gardening guy here in Dallas. His name

is Garrett. He has a talk show on 820 WBAP www.wbap.com and a

great website www.dirtdoctor.com. He might be of interest to some of

you guys out there.

BTW, I first heard of NT through his show.

Thanks,

Jo

[Guest guest]

Wow! Where can I get one of these gadgets so I too can test my produce?!

R

[Guest guest]

* merc502@... (merc502@...) [010813 15:24]:

* Subject: brix testing:

> Alan, can you expand on this brix testing a little more.

Brix testing is done almost universally now with a

refractometer. It is used to determine the 'quality'

of produce and some (better) farmers use it to test

the saps and juices in their crops to assess and improve

the health of their plants.

The whole concept of Brix is based on a remarkable

'law' of nature. It seems that as the soil fertility

and other conditions (light, temperature, etc.) get

closer and closer to optimal, the Brix go up! For

instance, if the soil is perfect in every way except

that it is deficient is say chromium, the Brix will

go up as chromium is added to the soil! Similarly,

the Brix will go down as the soil become more deficient

in one or more plant nutrients.

This is, of course, one reason why the quality of the produce

keeps dropping. Each crop removes some of the minerals

from the soil, and if they are not put back, the plants

get less and less healthy on the increasingly depleted

soil, and the Brix of the produce, not surprisingly, goes

down. I've read that about every 25 or 30 years the

USDA re-does its food database, and every time they

do it they find that the nutrients levels go down pretty

significantly. I'm told the British do the same thing

with the same results. Most conventional farmers add

PNK fertilizer to the soil but tend to ignore the ~60

other important minerals and trace minerals necessary

for good plant and animal health.

This is a old theme that's been around for over a

hundred years. People have noticed that if they improve

the soil by remineralizing it with things like rock dust

or sea kelp, the plants 'magically' get healthier,

the produce tastes better, and the animals and people

that consume it also get healthier.

Sadly, these warnings have been largely ignored. It

seems that the chemical companies have convinced farmers

that all they have to do is put down the chemical fertilizers

and pesticides that these companies produce, and they'll

do ok. This appears to parallel the efforts of the large

grain and pharmaceutical companies that similarly have taken

over the medical and health industries.

The better produce markets use a refractometer to measure

the brix and therefore the quality of the produce before

they purchase from the grower or distributor. Even 'walmart',

I've heard, does this -- though the threshold for purchasing

is apparently fairly low. While there truely are a

very small number of growers producing high Brix food,

I'm told that most of their production is sent directly

to Japan.

I called all the 'health' stores here in Albuquerque

one day and asked what the Brix of their peaches was,

and all but one didn't have a clue what I was talking

about. The one that did, though they didn't measure

the Brix of their produce did know about it and was

curious, so they invited me down to the store to let

me measure some of what they had. Since they had the

most expensive organic produce in town, I'm sure they

expected to turn in high scores. It didn't turn out

that way though. They had more or less the same low

brix readings as the other health stores and supermarkets,

despite the much higher prices they charged (5 to 6

times higher!). I asked the produce manager to start

posting the Brix readings of their produce and even

volunteered to do the testing myself. After thinking

about it for a few days, the manager told me that me

wouldn't do it. He confessed that because virtually

all of his produce was picked green and 'ripened' in

transport or storage, his produce would, by the objective

measure of Brix, not look good, and that he would

continue to sell more if he kept up his deception

of high prices and organic labels.

The lesson I learned is that all the produce I have

access to is of low quality and that the markets,

even the 'gold-plated' ones, will not make any effort

to improve it without a significant fraction of their

customers getting wise to their con-game. From my

discussions with others doing the same things around

this country and many others, it appears that the

situation I have is almost universal -- food quality

is consistently low virtually everwhere.

So much for the Brix of the produce. On the farming and

gardening end, people have noticed that if the brix

readings of the stems and leaves of a plant are fairly

uniform and high (at least 12 brix), the plant will be

in good health. They've also noticed that the Brix

levels will respond to inputs such as foliar sprays

allowing the farmer or gardener to determine what the

plant, and hence the soil, is deficent in. Using this

method the soil can be improved over time to produce

healthy, fertile soil leading to healthy plants leading

to healthy livestock leading to healthy people.

> I like to

> grow my own veggies in the summer around my house and would be very

> interested in knowing the nutritional value. Also do you know if

> there is any contamination danger from eating veggies right next to

> the house? I don't like to grow my evggies too far out since I don't

> know if my neighbors are organic or not. My yard looks great and is

> 100% organic. People have noticed and have begun to use the organic

> fertilizers and bug control.

> There is a great organic gardening guy here in Dallas. His name

> is Garrett. He has a talk show on 820 WBAP www.wbap.com and a

> great website www.dirtdoctor.com. He might be of interest to some of

> you guys out there.

I like the way he stresses soil health over insectacides.

Definitely better than your average gardening advice.

> BTW, I first heard of NT through his show.

Concerning 'organic' produce:

There's some strong evidence to suggest that 'organic'

is something of a sham. Organic farming was brought

from Northern Indian (the Hunza's) by Sir Albert

to England and practiced by a small number of curious

farmers there. They enjoyed surprising success and

eventually exported it to America via J. Rodale. That

part's ok.

The part that is problematic with organic farming is

that most have forgotten what true organic farming is.

Today's organic farming is, for the most part, nothing

more than conventional farming with a few synthetics

replaced with naturals -- it bares little resemblance

to the farming practices of the Hunzas.

And indeed the results of organic farming bare little

resemblance to Hunza produce. Organic produce is

typically ravaged by insects, but that of the Hunzas

mysterious isn't despite the lack of insectacide,

natural or synthetic. Organic produce left out often

rots and molds, but not that of the Hunza. Hunza

produce was described by visitors as being uniquely

delicious, unlike anything they'd every had before,

while typical organic produce tastes pretty much the

same as conventional food (despite what some people

say).

People have discovered that produce with high Brix

are also not attacked by insects, nor do they rot

or mold. Also people sometimes describe high Brix

food as out-of-this-world tasty -- as 'transcendent.'

In other words, high Brix and Hunza produce have

similar attributes that are not shared, in general, with

organic produce. If you use these as measures,

organic is almost indistinquishable from conventional.

If you want something simpler, start noting the Universal

numbers that is attached the produce. Keep a file of

these numbers and where you purchased the produce.

It didn't take me long to learn the the same California

peaches I was buying at the expensive organic health

food store at $3.50 a pound, were available at the

local supermarket for $2.00 a pound, or at a local

produce market for $.79 a pound. The grower, I

discovered, had a variety of labels all with the same

universal code, but some had the word 'organic' above

the number which was used on the produce I found in

the expensive health store, while the produce at the

supermarket and produce market had the same number

but didn't have the word 'organic' on it. When I

measure the Brix of a sample set from each location,

they all fell into the same ranges.

I used to buy organic whenever possible figuring that

it was more likely that an organic grower would do it

the right way (remineralize the soil, etc.) than a

conventional farmer, but I don't now. The Brix

measurements on the stuff with the 'organic' label

is in the same range as that of conventional. While

there well may be organic growers that do it properly

(the Hunza way), it has become painfully clear to me

that organic growing is just another big business looking

for, and taking advantage of, ill-informed customers.

If I'm ever able to find an organic grower that

produces *objectively* high quality produce, I'll be

the first in line, but I'm not going to spend those

high prices for the same trash I can get elsewhere

for *much* less cost. But frankly, I don't plan on

even paying attention to whether something is organic

(or biodynamic) or not any more, as I can simply

measure the Brix. If it is high Brix, it came from

a plant that had everthing it needed for it to be

healthy.

--alan

[Guest guest]

Hi Alan,

Thanks for all the great information about Brix testing and organics. I'd never thought about the nutritional content aspect and I guess what I expect in organic is none of the toxins--do you think avoiding these has no value? Also you didn't say much about what to use to test the Brix other than it's a refractometer? Is this feasible to do at home or are you talking about thousands of dollars for an instrument?

Thanks,

----- Original Message -----

From: Alan Lundin

Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2001 11:34 AM

Subject: Re: brix testing

* merc502@... (merc502@...) [010813 15:24]:* Subject: brix testing:> Alan, can you expand on this brix testing a little more.Brix testing is done almost universally now with arefractometer. It is used to determine the 'quality'of produce and some (better) farmers use it to testthe saps and juices in their crops to assess and improvethe health of their plants.The whole concept of Brix is based on a remarkable'law' of nature. It seems that as the soil fertilityand other conditions (light, temperature, etc.) getcloser and closer to optimal, the Brix go up! Forinstance, if the soil is perfect in every way exceptthat it is deficient is say chromium, the Brix willgo up as chromium is added to the soil! Similarly,the Brix will go down as the soil become more deficientin one or more plant nutrients.This is, of course, one reason why the quality of the producekeeps dropping. Each crop removes some of the mineralsfrom the soil, and if they are not put back, the plantsget less and less healthy on the increasingly depletedsoil, and the Brix of the produce, not surprisingly, goesdown. I've read that about every 25 or 30 years theUSDA re-does its food database, and every time theydo it they find that the nutrients levels go down prettysignificantly. I'm told the British do the same thingwith the same results. Most conventional farmers addPNK fertilizer to the soil but tend to ignore the ~60other important minerals and trace minerals necessaryfor good plant and animal health.This is a old theme that's been around for over ahundred years. People have noticed that if they improvethe soil by remineralizing it with things like rock dustor sea kelp, the plants 'magically' get healthier,the produce tastes better, and the animals and peoplethat consume it also get healthier.Sadly, these warnings have been largely ignored. Itseems that the chemical companies have convinced farmersthat all they have to do is put down the chemical fertilizersand pesticides that these companies produce, and they'lldo ok. This appears to parallel the efforts of the largegrain and pharmaceutical companies that similarly have takenover the medical and health industries.The better produce markets use a refractometer to measurethe brix and therefore the quality of the produce beforethey purchase from the grower or distributor. Even 'walmart',I've heard, does this -- though the threshold for purchasingis apparently fairly low. While there truely are avery small number of growers producing high Brix food,I'm told that most of their production is sent directlyto Japan.I called all the 'health' stores here in Albuquerqueone day and asked what the Brix of their peaches was,and all but one didn't have a clue what I was talkingabout. The one that did, though they didn't measurethe Brix of their produce did know about it and wascurious, so they invited me down to the store to letme measure some of what they had. Since they had themost expensive organic produce in town, I'm sure theyexpected to turn in high scores. It didn't turn outthat way though. They had more or less the same lowbrix readings as the other health stores and supermarkets,despite the much higher prices they charged (5 to 6times higher!). I asked the produce manager to startposting the Brix readings of their produce and evenvolunteered to do the testing myself. After thinkingabout it for a few days, the manager told me that mewouldn't do it. He confessed that because virtuallyall of his produce was picked green and 'ripened' intransport or storage, his produce would, by the objectivemeasure of Brix, not look good, and that he wouldcontinue to sell more if he kept up his deceptionof high prices and organic labels.The lesson I learned is that all the produce I haveaccess to is of low quality and that the markets,even the 'gold-plated' ones, will not make any effortto improve it without a significant fraction of theircustomers getting wise to their con-game. From mydiscussions with others doing the same things aroundthis country and many others, it appears that thesituation I have is almost universal -- food qualityis consistently low virtually everwhere.So much for the Brix of the produce. On the farming andgardening end, people have noticed that if the brixreadings of the stems and leaves of a plant are fairlyuniform and high (at least 12 brix), the plant will bein good health. They've also noticed that the Brixlevels will respond to inputs such as foliar spraysallowing the farmer or gardener to determine what theplant, and hence the soil, is deficent in. Using thismethod the soil can be improved over time to producehealthy, fertile soil leading to healthy plants leadingto healthy livestock leading to healthy people.> I like to > grow my own veggies in the summer around my house and would be very > interested in knowing the nutritional value. Also do you know if > there is any contamination danger from eating veggies right next to > the house? I don't like to grow my evggies too far out since I don't > know if my neighbors are organic or not. My yard looks great and is > 100% organic. People have noticed and have begun to use the organic > fertilizers and bug control. > There is a great organic gardening guy here in Dallas. His name > is Garrett. He has a talk show on 820 WBAP www.wbap.com and a > great website www.dirtdoctor.com. He might be of interest to some of > you guys out there.I like the way he stresses soil health over insectacides.Definitely better than your average gardening advice.> BTW, I first heard of NT through his show.Concerning 'organic' produce:There's some strong evidence to suggest that 'organic'is something of a sham. Organic farming was broughtfrom Northern Indian (the Hunza's) by Sir Albert to England and practiced by a small number of curiousfarmers there. They enjoyed surprising success andeventually exported it to America via J. Rodale. Thatpart's ok.The part that is problematic with organic farming isthat most have forgotten what true organic farming is.Today's organic farming is, for the most part, nothingmore than conventional farming with a few syntheticsreplaced with naturals -- it bares little resemblanceto the farming practices of the Hunzas.And indeed the results of organic farming bare littleresemblance to Hunza produce. Organic produce istypically ravaged by insects, but that of the Hunzasmysterious isn't despite the lack of insectacide,natural or synthetic. Organic produce left out oftenrots and molds, but not that of the Hunza. Hunzaproduce was described by visitors as being uniquelydelicious, unlike anything they'd every had before,while typical organic produce tastes pretty much thesame as conventional food (despite what some peoplesay).People have discovered that produce with high Brixare also not attacked by insects, nor do they rotor mold. Also people sometimes describe high Brixfood as out-of-this-world tasty -- as 'transcendent.'In other words, high Brix and Hunza produce havesimilar attributes that are not shared, in general, withorganic produce. If you use these as measures,organic is almost indistinquishable from conventional.If you want something simpler, start noting the Universalnumbers that is attached the produce. Keep a file ofthese numbers and where you purchased the produce.It didn't take me long to learn the the same Californiapeaches I was buying at the expensive organic healthfood store at $3.50 a pound, were available at thelocal supermarket for $2.00 a pound, or at a localproduce market for $.79 a pound. The grower, Idiscovered, had a variety of labels all with the sameuniversal code, but some had the word 'organic' abovethe number which was used on the produce I found inthe expensive health store, while the produce at thesupermarket and produce market had the same numberbut didn't have the word 'organic' on it. When Imeasure the Brix of a sample set from each location,they all fell into the same ranges.I used to buy organic whenever possible figuring thatit was more likely that an organic grower would do itthe right way (remineralize the soil, etc.) than aconventional farmer, but I don't now. The Brixmeasurements on the stuff with the 'organic' labelis in the same range as that of conventional. Whilethere well may be organic growers that do it properly(the Hunza way), it has become painfully clear to methat organic growing is just another big business lookingfor, and taking advantage of, ill-informed customers.If I'm ever able to find an organic grower thatproduces *objectively* high quality produce, I'll bethe first in line, but I'm not going to spend thosehigh prices for the same trash I can get elsewherefor *much* less cost. But frankly, I don't plan oneven paying attention to whether something is organic(or biodynamic) or not any more, as I can simplymeasure the Brix. If it is high Brix, it came froma plant that had everthing it needed for it to behealthy.--alan

[Guest guest]

Hi Jo - here's a link to a Brix site authored by Rex Harrill who is a

gold mine of knowledge in this area:

http://www.crossroads.ws/brixbook/BBook.htm

If I remember correctly, a hand-held temperature compensated

refractometer costs about $125US. Good value IMO.

Cheers,

Jo

[Guest guest]

Alan,

" ...most of their production is sent directly to Japan " ???

Why do you think this is? Do the producers fetch better prices for their

produce in Japan, even considering the costs of shipping and handling?

Amazing, in my opinion!

Alan Lundin <aflundi@...> on 08/14/2001 12:34:29 PM

Please respond to

cc:

Subject: Re: brix testing

* merc502@... (merc502@...) [010813 15:24]:

* Subject: brix testing:

> Alan, can you expand on this brix testing a little more.

Brix testing is done almost universally now with a

refractometer.  It is used to determine the 'quality'

of produce and some (better) farmers use it to test

the saps and juices in their crops to assess and improve

the health of their plants.

The whole concept of Brix is based on a remarkable

'law' of nature.  It seems that as the soil fertility

and other conditions (light, temperature, etc.) get

closer and closer to optimal, the Brix go up!  For

instance, if the soil is perfect in every way except

that it is deficient is say chromium, the Brix will

go up as chromium is added to the soil!  Similarly,

the Brix will go down as the soil become more deficient

in one or more plant nutrients.

This is, of course, one reason why the quality of the produce

keeps dropping.  Each crop removes some of the minerals

from the soil, and if they are not put back, the plants

get less and less healthy on the increasingly depleted

soil, and the Brix of the produce, not surprisingly, goes

down.  I've read that about every 25 or 30 years the

USDA re-does its food database, and every time they

do it they find that the nutrients levels go down pretty

significantly.  I'm told the British do the same thing

with the same results.  Most conventional farmers add

PNK fertilizer to the soil but tend to ignore the ~60

other important minerals and trace minerals necessary

for good plant and animal health.

This is a old theme that's been around for over a

hundred years.  People have noticed that if they improve

the soil by remineralizing it with things like rock dust

or sea kelp, the plants 'magically' get healthier,

the produce tastes better, and the animals and people

that consume it also get healthier.

Sadly, these warnings have been largely ignored.  It

seems that the chemical companies have convinced farmers

that all they have to do is put down the chemical fertilizers

and pesticides that these companies produce, and they'll

do ok.  This appears to parallel the efforts of the large

grain and pharmaceutical companies that similarly have taken

over the medical and health industries.

The better produce markets use a refractometer to measure

the brix and therefore the quality of the produce before

they purchase from the grower or distributor.  Even 'walmart',

I've heard, does this -- though the threshold for purchasing

is apparently fairly low.  While there truely are a

very small number of growers producing high Brix food,

I'm told that most of their production is sent directly

to Japan.

I called all the 'health' stores here in Albuquerque

one day and asked what the Brix of their peaches was,

and all but one didn't have a clue what I was talking

about.  The one that did, though they didn't measure

the Brix of their produce did know about it and was

curious, so they invited me down to the store to let

me measure some of what they had.  Since they had the

most expensive organic produce in town, I'm sure they

expected to turn in high scores.  It didn't turn out

that way though.  They had more or less the same low

brix readings as the other health stores and supermarkets,

despite the much higher prices they charged (5 to 6

times higher!).  I asked the produce manager to start

posting the Brix readings of their produce and even

volunteered to do the testing myself.  After thinking

about it for a few days, the manager told me that me

wouldn't do it.  He confessed that because virtually

all of his produce was picked green and 'ripened' in

transport or storage, his produce would, by the objective

measure of Brix, not look good, and that he would

continue to sell more if he kept up his deception

of high prices and organic labels.

The lesson I learned is that all the produce I have

access to is of low quality and that the markets,

even the 'gold-plated' ones, will not make any effort

to improve it without a significant fraction of their

customers getting wise to their con-game.  From my

discussions with others doing the same things around

this country and many others, it appears that the

situation I have is almost universal -- food quality

is consistently low virtually everwhere.

So much for the Brix of the produce.  On the farming and

gardening end, people have noticed that if the brix

readings of the stems and leaves of a plant are fairly

uniform and high (at least 12 brix), the plant will be

in good health.  They've also noticed that the Brix

levels will respond to inputs such as foliar sprays

allowing the farmer or gardener to determine what the

plant, and hence the soil, is deficent in.  Using this

method the soil can be improved over time to produce

healthy, fertile soil leading to healthy plants leading

to healthy livestock leading to healthy people.

>                                                          I like to

> grow my own veggies in the summer around my house and would be very

> interested in knowing the nutritional value. Also do you know if

> there is any contamination danger from eating veggies right next to

> the house? I don't like to grow my evggies too far out since I don't

> know if my neighbors are organic or not. My yard looks great and is

> 100% organic. People have noticed and have begun to use the organic

> fertilizers and bug control.

>      There is a great organic gardening guy here in Dallas. His name

> is Garrett. He has a talk show on  820 WBAP www.wbap.com and a

> great website www.dirtdoctor.com. He might be of interest to some of

> you guys out there.

I like the way he stresses soil health over insectacides.

Definitely better than your average gardening advice.

> BTW, I first heard of NT through his show.

Concerning 'organic' produce:

There's some strong evidence to suggest that 'organic'

is something of a sham.  Organic farming was brought

from Northern Indian (the Hunza's) by Sir Albert

to England and practiced by a small number of curious

farmers there.  They enjoyed surprising success and

eventually exported it to America via J. Rodale.  That

part's ok.

The part that is problematic with organic farming is

that most have forgotten what true organic farming is.

Today's organic farming is, for the most part, nothing

more than conventional farming with a few synthetics

replaced with naturals -- it bares little resemblance

to the farming practices of the Hunzas.

And indeed the results of organic farming bare little

resemblance to Hunza produce.  Organic produce is

typically ravaged by insects, but that of the Hunzas

mysterious isn't despite the lack of insectacide,

natural or synthetic.  Organic produce left out often

rots and molds, but not that of the Hunza. Hunza

produce was described by visitors as being uniquely

delicious, unlike anything they'd every had before,

while typical organic produce tastes pretty much the

same as conventional food (despite what some people

say).

People have discovered that produce with high Brix

are also not attacked by insects, nor do they rot

or mold.  Also people sometimes describe high Brix

food as out-of-this-world tasty -- as 'transcendent.'

In other words, high Brix and Hunza produce have

similar attributes that are not shared, in general, with

organic produce.  If you use these as measures,

organic is almost indistinquishable from conventional.

If you want something simpler, start noting the Universal

numbers that is attached the produce.  Keep a file of

these numbers and where you purchased the produce.

It didn't take me long to learn the the same California

peaches I was buying at the expensive organic health

food store at $3.50 a pound, were available at the

local supermarket for $2.00 a pound, or at a local

produce market for $.79 a pound.  The grower, I

discovered, had a variety of labels all with the same

universal code, but some had the word 'organic' above

the number which was used on the produce I found in

the expensive health store, while the produce at the

supermarket and produce market had the same number

but didn't have the word 'organic' on it.  When I

measure the Brix of a sample set from each location,

they all fell into the same ranges.

I used to buy organic whenever possible figuring that

it was more likely that an organic grower would do it

the right way (remineralize the soil, etc.) than a

conventional farmer, but I don't now.  The Brix

measurements on the stuff with the 'organic' label

is in the same range as that of conventional.  While

there well may be organic growers that do it properly

(the Hunza way), it has become painfully clear to me

that organic growing is just another big business looking

for, and taking advantage of, ill-informed customers.

If I'm ever able to find an organic grower that

produces *objectively* high quality produce, I'll be

the first in line, but I'm not going to spend those

high prices for the same trash I can get elsewhere

for *much* less cost.  But frankly, I don't plan on

even paying attention to whether something is organic

(or biodynamic) or not any more, as I can simply

measure the Brix.  If it is high Brix, it came from

a plant that had everthing it needed for it to be

healthy.

--alan

[Guest guest]

* Pellicer (@...) [010814 13:15]:

* Subject: Re: brix testing:

> Hi Alan,

> Thanks for all the great information about Brix testing and

> organics. I'd never thought about the nutritional content aspect and I

> guess what I expect in organic is none of the toxins--do you think

> avoiding these has no value?

Not much, but some. My reasoning is that if we can

trust the analysis given, the added toxin load

is something like .5% of the total toxic load. That's

a pretty small amount, especially when you consider

that many of the commercial toxins are mearly synthetic

versions of the natural toxins. Having said that, I

do admit that if it is synthetic and different in *any*

way from the natural toxins, our evolutionary past is

less likely to have been able to select ways to deal

with it. The other part is the simple equation:

N + A > N

if N and A are positive, where N is the quantity of

natural toxins and A is the quantity of additional

toxins added by the grower. This is true no matter

how small A is. Keep in mind, however, that the way

most commercial organic growers farm, their " A " is

comparable to that of conventional farmers.

In any case, the toxin side is of negligible concern

compared to the nutrient side were the nutrient levels

can be as much as 1000 times different between a low-

and high-quality plant! That's no small difference!

> Also you didn't say much about what to

> use to test the Brix other than it's a refractometer? Is this feasible

> to do at home or are you talking about thousands of dollars for an

> instrument?

We're lucky in that refractometers are used so much

that economies of scale make them more or less available

to us. There is a Chinese made refractometer that

sells for around $125. Mine was made in Japan and

cost $250. If you want to read a bit about Brix and

refractometers, take a look at Rex Harrill's short

" book " at:

http://www.crossroads.ws/brixbook/BBook.htm

My refractometer is about 8 inches long, and about

1 1/4 " in diameter (it looks like a small telescope

with a slanting prism face at the front end). It

has a reticle with hacks labeled in Brix. To use

it, you mearly squeeze a drop or two from the produce,

onto the prism, close a lid or flap that smears the

fluid over the prism, and look through the eye piece

to read directly the Brix reading. Wipe off the

prism and flap with a cloth and you're ready for the

next sample.

I've heard of some companies selling refractometers

for as low as $50 so it might be worth while to

do a web search to find a good deal. Also,

Rex Harrill keeps them on hand and will sell them.

Get hold of him at:

brixman@...

and Pike Agri-Lab Supplies sells them. Check them out

at:

http://www.pikeagri.com/

--alan

[Guest guest]

* lkosar@... (lkosar@...) [010814 14:35]:

* Subject: Re: brix testing:

> Alan,

>

> " ...most of their production is sent directly to Japan " ???

>

> Why do you think this is? Do the producers fetch better prices for their

> produce in Japan, even considering the costs of shipping and handling?

I really don't know, but I suspect that there are

a small number of people that are good consumers

who insist on eating good quality good and can

afford it.

--alan

[Guest guest]

Thanks Alan,

I found the site and it is very informative. Do you have any sense of the difference in your meter costing $250 & the $125 one, is it just ease of use or greater accuracy or better quality workmanship, etc.?

--

----- Original Message -----

From: Alan Lundin

Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2001 4:00 PM

Subject: Re: brix testing

* Pellicer (@...) [010814 13:15]:* Subject: Re: brix testing:> Hi Alan,> Thanks for all the great information about Brix testing and> organics. I'd never thought about the nutritional content aspect and I> guess what I expect in organic is none of the toxins--do you think> avoiding these has no value?Not much, but some. My reasoning is that if we cantrust the analysis given, the added toxin loadis something like .5% of the total toxic load. That'sa pretty small amount, especially when you considerthat many of the commercial toxins are mearly syntheticversions of the natural toxins. Having said that, Ido admit that if it is synthetic and different in *any*way from the natural toxins, our evolutionary past isless likely to have been able to select ways to dealwith it. The other part is the simple equation: N + A > Nif N and A are positive, where N is the quantity ofnatural toxins and A is the quantity of additionaltoxins added by the grower. This is true no matterhow small A is. Keep in mind, however, that the waymost commercial organic growers farm, their "A" iscomparable to that of conventional farmers.In any case, the toxin side is of negligible concerncompared to the nutrient side were the nutrient levelscan be as much as 1000 times different between a low-and high-quality plant! That's no small difference!> Also you didn't say much about what to> use to test the Brix other than it's a refractometer? Is this feasible> to do at home or are you talking about thousands of dollars for an> instrument?We're lucky in that refractometers are used so muchthat economies of scale make them more or less availableto us. There is a Chinese made refractometer thatsells for around $125. Mine was made in Japan andcost $250. If you want to read a bit about Brix andrefractometers, take a look at Rex Harrill's short"book" at: http://www.crossroads.ws/brixbook/BBook.htmMy refractometer is about 8 inches long, and about1 1/4" in diameter (it looks like a small telescopewith a slanting prism face at the front end). Ithas a reticle with hacks labeled in Brix. To useit, you mearly squeeze a drop or two from the produce,onto the prism, close a lid or flap that smears thefluid over the prism, and look through the eye pieceto read directly the Brix reading. Wipe off theprism and flap with a cloth and you're ready for thenext sample.I've heard of some companies selling refractometersfor as low as $50 so it might be worth while todo a web search to find a good deal. Also,Rex Harrill keeps them on hand and will sell them.Get hold of him at: brixman@...and Pike Agri-Lab Supplies sells them. Check them outat: http://www.pikeagri.com/--alan

[Guest guest]

Alan, I also agree with what you say about organic not

necessarily meaning quality. Not only that, I have

serious doubts that all of the stuff in grocery stores

or health food stores that's labelled as organic

actually IS. How easy would it be to just slap little

" organic " stickers on your crop and get twice as much

for it, if you were an unscrupulous farmer? I do

still buy mostly organic, but I far prefer to buy

locally directly from the grower, and have had the

best luck with that in terms of produce that passes

the taste test. I still don't have a refractometer, I

hope to get one soon.

A good book I have that deals with the soil quality

issue is called " Natural Farming and Land Care " by Pat

Coleby. It's an Australian book, sent to me by a

friend who lives there, I don't think it has an

American edition, but it's worth a read if you can get

it. She also wrote " Natural Horse Care " . Both books

emphasize the health of the pasture as absolutely

vital to the health of the animals grazing on it.

Aubin

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

* Pellicer (@...) [010814 18:13]:

* Subject: Re: brix testing:

> Thanks Alan,

> I found the site and it is very informative. Do you have any sense

> of the difference in your meter costing $250 & the $125 one, is it just

> ease of use or greater accuracy or better quality workmanship, etc.?

I tried to purchase the $125 Chinese brand but

it was during the EP-3 incident and everyone I

talked to refused to continue to sell Chinese

products, so the least expense brand available

at the time was the $250 Japanese unit.

Having not owned (or even handled) the Chinese

unit, I can only pass on what others say -- that

being that it has very good optics and is the

best value available. It was that recommendation

that lead me to try to get it in the first place.

I've been very happy with the Japanese unit I

purchased, but, if I needed another, wouldn't

personally hesitate purchasing the Chinese unit

if I could find one. Is that a good enough

answer?

--alan

[Guest guest]

Hi Alan, That's a great answer and thank you for taking the time to share it. What fun another gadget to play with....

--

----- Original Message -----

From: Alan Lundin

Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 11:32 AM

Subject: Re: brix testing

* Pellicer (@...) [010814 18:13]:* Subject: Re: brix testing:> Thanks Alan,> I found the site and it is very informative. Do you have any sense> of the difference in your meter costing $250 & the $125 one, is it just> ease of use or greater accuracy or better quality workmanship, etc.?I tried to purchase the $125 Chinese brand butit was during the EP-3 incident and everyone Italked to refused to continue to sell Chineseproducts, so the least expense brand availableat the time was the $250 Japanese unit.Having not owned (or even handled) the Chineseunit, I can only pass on what others say -- thatbeing that it has very good optics and is thebest value available. It was that recommendationthat lead me to try to get it in the first place.I've been very happy with the Japanese unit Ipurchased, but, if I needed another, wouldn'tpersonally hesitate purchasing the Chinese unitif I could find one. Is that a good enoughanswer?--alan

[Guest guest]

* Aubin Parrish (aubinparrish@...) [010814 20:38]:

* Subject: Re: brix testing:

> Alan, I also agree with what you say about organic not

> necessarily meaning quality. Not only that, I have

> serious doubts that all of the stuff in grocery stores

> or health food stores that's labelled as organic

> actually IS. How easy would it be to just slap little

> " organic " stickers on your crop and get twice as much

> for it, if you were an unscrupulous farmer? [ ... ]

<Rumor Warning>

I've heard more than once that some farmers harvest

their crops putting all the good healthy-looking

stuff in a bin for the supermarket, and then

collecting all the ratty, shriveled, nasty, sickly-

looking stuff and put it in the bin marked organic.

--alan