A Tale of Two Apples – The Organic Place

We recently we took apples down from our website as their season is ending.  It can be very perplexing (and disappointing for lovers of apples), especially when you go past the supermarket and see that there are plenty of shiny, stickered apples there on show.  This confusion is understandable and we feel we should explain: this is really a tale of two apples.

There are two kinds of apples, the conventional and the organic apple and there is a different story behind each of these apples.  We hope their tales enlighten you as to why The Organic Place apples are less and less easy to come by as we move toward summer and why we recommend you embrace other fruit to eat while apples are out of season.

The Conventional Apple

The conventional apple begins its journey much the same as any other apple, as it bursts forth from an apple tree’s branches.  From there it is bombarded with all manner of pesticides, chemicals and fertilisers to keep it free from blemishes, safe from bugs and to make it as large and plump as it can possibly become before it is picked and packed.  If the apple is being produced in the off season, it will be given even more artificial assistance to aid its growth.  Depending on the time of year, the apple may be picked when ready but usually before it is has ripened so that it has a longer shelf life in the supermarket.  This compromises the taste and nutritional content as the apple retains more of its goodness when it has ripened on the tree. Apples picked in other countries to sell in Australia are undoubtedly also picked before they are ready so that they can ripen on their journey but they will not do so very well as they are carted about in dark boxes.  Only the best-looking apples are chosen and they are packed with similar sized and coloured apples so that they appear to have a standard size.  In the off season apples are kept in cold storage so that they can be sold all year round.  The apple you buy at the local supermarket may be from weeks or months earlier in the year.

The Organic Apple

The organic apple is grown within its natural season and is picked when ripe.  Chemicals are not used to enhance its size and methods other than chemical spraying are used to keep the fruit free from insects.  There is less concern about the size, shape and colour of the apples when picking them as the taste will speak for itself.  The organic apple is packed and taken to market straight from the farm and that is where The Organic Place purchases it.  Because The Organic Place purchases produce from the market early Thursday morning and delivers the fruit to your door by that evening, this means that within days of being picked, the apples are sitting in your fruit bowl!  This is in stark contrast to the conventional apple that may have been picked months before you buy it.  The story of the organic apple in the off season is that it does not exist!  Fruit is the tastiest, most nutritious and easiest to grow when it is in season.  This is the way the natural world works.  While we realize that many of us just love our apples, we encourage you to cast your net a bit wider.  Enjoy the delicious organic summer fruits that are in season and chemical and pesticide free, rather than procure the conventional apple.  Your body will thank you for your decision and you will appreciate those delicious in season apples even more when they are available again next year.