Apple picking is one of the very few things I like about fall (I’m a summer girl!). My husband and I have what we call “Fall Day” where we wrap up all things good about fall into one fun-filled day: we start with apple picking, we then get some cider doughnuts and apple cider from the farm, then pick out 2 perfect pumpkins, and head home to sip warm whiskey+cider while making apple pie before carving our pumpkins and munching on doughnuts. It was our tradition for our first 4 years together, but last year, we had to mix things up a bit.
I don’t know why it never occurred to me earlier, but last year it dawned on me that the apples from the farm we always go to might not be organic (not treated with chemicals). It’s tough to fall into the “local” trap, where it’s definitely great to buy local and support farmers in your community, just because produce is local does NOT mean it’s not sprayed with pesticides/herbicides. I was super bummed out when I called to ask them, and they told me that they DO in fact spray their apples with pesticides!
Hopefully you checked out my previous post and know that apples top the Dirty Dozen list as being the worst-offender when it comes to containing the highest number of pesticide residue. Just think: the same thing you spray your lawn to kill weeds…most pick-your-own farms are spraying on the apples to kill/prevent bugs. If it can kill bugs and weeds, what is it doing to our bodies??
Pesticides are stored in our colon and in our body fat, where they slowly leach into and poison the body. When you eat a non-organic apple, you are also eating all of the pesticides that have been sprayed on it. Even if you wash the apple, there are still many pesticides lingering on it that have probably seeped in through its thin skin…yuck!
After countless studies, pesticides have been linked to asthma, autism, learning disabilities, birth defects, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, and several types of cancer. Pesticides also have been shown to build up in the body over the years, and bring harm to the nervous system, the reproductive system, and the endocrine system.
So please: call your favorite pick-your-own apple farm ahead of time to see if they spray their apple trees with pesticides. It’s in the best interest for you and your family to avoid these chemicals if at all possible.
