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this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2025
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Most produce waste is at the distribution and commercial level. Stores won’t buy ugly produce because consumers are picky about it.
Lettuce is a big problem though because it spoils really fast. It’s not like a green pepper that looks like an ugly goblin but is otherwise fresh and tasty. Bad lettuce is heavily wilted and covered in brown rust. Nobody will buy that, especially not at regular price, next to pristine lettuce.
20 million kg of lettuce. Is that per day? Canada has a population of 40 million. If that number is per year then it’s basically 500 grams per person per year. Most people who eat lettuce regularly eat more than that per week.
Fortunately, there have been some advancements to reduce food waste through apps that partner with grocery stores to list nearly expired items at a deep discount.
Sure and that’s great for packaged goods and more durable produce like peppers, potatoes, and gourds.
Fresh, delicate greens are the trickiest. They expire very quickly. But they also are very easy to damage while growing, harvesting, packaging, shipment to distribution, shipment to stores, unpacking, display, consumer-caused damage, and even transport home from the store.
I think to meet demand entirely domestically we’d probably have to grow 50-100 times as much lettuce in greenhouses as we’re doing right now.
Keep in mind that the tens of millions of KG in greenhouse lettuce is in addition to the tens of thousands of tonnes in fresh lettuce we also grow.
Are you concerned that we'll have a lettuce shortage? I don't see that happening, but this will give us an opportunity to expand our capacity, grow more locally (i.e. in backyards, community gardens, etc.), encourage creative ways to grow food, etc.
I want to try growing some lettuce myself. But note that if everyone grew lettuce in their backyard it would not do anything to reduce winter demand for lettuce (which doesn’t keep all winter). The backyard lettuce revolution would destroy commercial lettuce producers in Canada who only grow outdoors in the summer, while leaving winter lettuce shortages intact.
I was growing lettuce indoors using two Aerogardens. It worked really well, but didn't keep up to my family's needs. I think they offer much larger models now, and that would be an interesting option to run even only during the winter. Of course, you don't really save money when using a system like that, but DIY hydroponic or aeroponic systems can be worth the trouble for some who have the space.
Nah. Not enough people would commit to backyard gardening. But hey, I'd love to see more community gardens and backyard gardeners growing their own food, especially if they offer up excess to neighbours or local restaurants.
I don't think they would ever be able to put a large dent into commercial producer's business. That would be a good problem to have, since growers can switch crops and diversify what they grow, while communities and individuals fill gaps in food security/affordability.
Last year I grew tomatoes and hot peppers as well as some herbs and a few sweet peas. The peas and tomatoes were truly incredible. The peppers were quite good but didn’t really eclipse store bought jalapeños in quantity or size (they were very small but tasty).
I’m still in the planning phases of my 2025 garden. I want to try growing some beans and squash as well as more varieties of tomatoes and peppers. I also want to grow a lot more of those peas because they were the best peas I’d ever tasted!
I have a couple of rosemary plants growing inside my grow tent right now. I may try growing some small lettuces in some of the many terra cotta pots I have. Also want to grow a lot more varieties of herbs (I have all the seeds).
I'd love to get back into proper gardening. With all the stuff my (retired) parents grow, I'd just be producing excess all the time!
I do keep basil and parsley growing indoors out of a mason jar for months at a time (the parsley in particular is super high in nutrients, and can provide more than most lettuce with just a small serving), and hot peppers have been very easy to grow outdoors in a small planter!
I did screw up by growing insanely hot peppers, which are only good for pain. Ghost and Scorpion... ouch. LOL
Maybe this year I'll get something going again!
Yes! Go for it!
I actually love insanely hot peppers! I’m going to try growing some ghost peppers this year! But they won’t be the only type I’m growing, so I’ll have a backup plan!
Parsley sounds really nice actually. I remember opening up a package of dried parsley recently and the smell was incredible! I might even have some parsley seeds already in my collection (I bought a ton of seeds but got so overwhelmed I only grew a few types last year).
Me too, but I have to be practical with the ingredients I choose, as not everyone in my family loves getting burned in the mouth. LOL
We are fortunate enough to have several large nurseries in the area, so once spring hits, I'm sure my wife and I will see what they have.
Our challenge is having a huge backyard that has a lot of tree coverage (shade), so produce that requires a lot of sunlight won't thrive.
At the very least, we're looking at replacing our backyard grass with clover to bring more pollinators to the yard 😆
We have quite a bit of shade as well, though we do have one fairly decent spot of direct sun near the house. I also like to grow in containers on this gravel shoulder beside the driveway since our front yard gets more direct sun than the back.
If I get a nice big harvest of super hot peppers then I’m going to freeze some, pickle some, and dehydrate some. It’s pretty difficult to find uses for super hot fresh peppers unless you’re using them in a stir fry, Chinese style.