The C-Free Diet: If we didn't have California, what would we eat?

Slate ^ | July 10, 2013 | Brian Palmer

[Cobra64]

To all who say “dump California and let ‘em all die in an earthquake,” you jerks should understand that farmers and those in Northern California are conservatives. You myopic morons would throw my conservative children and grand-children out with the bath water.

[Oberon]

You simply do not understand the problem.

When I was young, my family grew a year's supply of vegetables every year on, in total, about an acre. This was in addition to what was supplied to local retailers.

So if you're saying that this process was somehow deficient because we didn't have sufficiently rich, mineral-laden soil like California has, then I agree with you: I simply do not understand the problem.

[Neoliberalnot]

Cauliflower is easy to grow but we don’t eat it much. Celery grows in the south but not here in the Midwest. There ain’t nothin like a Georgia peach.

[trisham]

I hear you. Onyx and Jim Robinson are Californians. I would challenge anyone to dispute their conservatism.

[Neoliberalnot]

We do grow venison, but not from seed. Oddly, deer have little regard for fences, so they often range on the neighbors, but every year we harvest at least 3.

[umgud]

Whether CA secedes or officially becomes Mexifornia, I doubt it would just quit all farming.

[RedElement]

Two observations:

1. The obvious answer to “what will we eat if we lose Kali”:

What is Kali going to do with all that perishable food if they don’t sell it to us?

2. The coastal elites have done their best to crush the agricultural output with their water policy lunacy.

[freedumb2003]

》I also grow beef and venison.《 I tried to do that but was unsuccessful. I think I was burying them too deep or too close together.

[ChildOfThe60s]

What is the point of this piece?

Is she implying that California could be destroyed or something?

Or is she implying that if we don’t grovel and California were to actually secede (my dream) then we’d no longer be able to buy their produce?

It’s a strange way to present an article highlighting how rich in agriculture the state is.

[editor-surveyor]

.
Just saying that the needed level of production is not possible.

In addition Ca valleys produce all year around, except for corn.
.

[IncPen]

If California wants to secede, let ‘em go.

But make them pay retail to buy back all the investments the rest of us have made in their state via our federal tax dollars.

[Ditter]

I used to garden, a few vegetables but mostly herbs and flowers. Since I have gotten older I can't do that anymore. Wish I could but it's not going to happen.
I have never heard of anyone growing celery or cauliflower here on the Gulf Coast, but who knows maybe it's possible.

[dangerdoc]

My take home is that if terrorists nuked every cesspool democrat urban center in California, we will do just fine with the remaining conservative rural areas of the state.

Thanks for posting.

[Cyclops08]

This not such a fantasy. Liberal California regulations are pushing farmers bankrupt or out of state.

CA will go the way of Venezuela soon.

[Neoliberalnot]

If I had time, I need to provide you instructions. Are you from Massachusetts ?

[gspurlock]

So, the only value California produces is in vegetables and fruits, why is the state working so hard to cripple the only people in the state who add any value to the U.S.?

[Neoliberalnot]

I have grown cauliflower many times in the Midwest. The kids didn’t like it so we dropped it. Celery is trickier but it lacks nutrient content anyway.

[EveningStar]

check to see what counties that produce all of that food are red or blue?

---

This is how the counties voted:
 

Vote by county	Clinton	Trump
Los Angeles	1,893,770	620,285
Orange	556,544	472,669
San Diego	567,243	386,807
Riverside	339,145	309,514
Santa Clara	483,472	137,452
Alameda	486,351	91,189
San Bernardino	312,517	253,962
Sacramento	273,768	163,024
Contra Costa	286,658	105,819
San Francisco	312,443	34,493
Ventura	170,489	118,764
San Mateo	219,580	53,731
Fresno	123,660	113,949
Kern	86,481	119,164
San Joaquin	89,791	68,316
Santa Barbara	100,120	53,740
Sonoma	116,027	37,421
Stanislaus	73,939	72,960
Solano	97,159	49,595
Placer	61,969	78,977
San Luis Obispo	63,001	52,672
Santa Cruz	85,185	20,158
Marin	86,650	17,531
Monterey	64,733	26,378
Tulare	39,099	50,488
El Dorado	35,243	47,633
Butte	38,676	42,193
Shasta	20,471	47,587
Yolo	34,460	13,178
Merced	21,856	18,486
Imperial	28,467	11,295
Napa	26,161	11,946
Madera	13,283	19,221
Humboldt	19,596	10,883
Nevada	16,199	14,686
Kings	12,902	17,446
Sutter	11,831	16,780
Tuolumne	8,580	13,486
Tehama	6,571	14,981
Calaveras	7,738	13,072
Yuba	7,234	12,313
Siskiyou	7,106	11,212
San Benito	10,050	6,471
Amador	5,904	10,239
Lake	6,240	5,752
Mendocino	6,905	3,571
Lassen	2,224	7,574
Glenn	3,065	5,788
Del Norte	3,485	5,134
Mariposa	3,122	5,185
Plumas	3,224	5,079
Inyo	3,155	4,248
Colusa	2,659	3,551
Mono	2,696	2,080
Trinity	1,876	2,409
Modoc	798	2,413
Sierra	601	1,048
Alpine	318	211

Politico

The New York Times

Wikipedia

[Mollypitcher1]

Baloney! California never grew and orange or grapefruit half as good as Florida. Same goes for a lot of their veggies.

[EveningStar]

See post 118.