Imperfect fruit is still fruit. Spots and blemishes are by no means a reason to toss an apple straight to the compost bin. Perfect looking apples serve one purpose: to be pretty. They are often coated with a wax product to maintain their prettiness, and methylcyclopropene for storage. Apples can be stored for almost a year before making it to the grocery store shelves, which is why they sometimes are mushy. We have collectively become more focused on how things look than how healthy or tasty they are. So, what happens to the imperfect apples? Some will be used to make juices and fillings, but still 20% will be thrown away. A great way to be a part of reducing that waste AND save yourself some money on locally grown food is to buy “seconds”. Seconds, # 2s or “utilities” are imperfect produce that many local growers are willing to sell at a significant discount. Before you make a call or pop into your local orchard, know you might be expected to make a bulk purchase. Our local orchard sells them by the pound, ten-pound bag and bushel when they have them. If you’re preserving apples for later and don’t have enough or any of your own this is a great way to go!
If you have fruit trees (or someone you know is willing to share), take full advantage… and watch where you step. Those apples on the ground might be just fine for preserving.
My husband’s grandmother would can all the fruit from her trees including every piece that fell to the ground. She cut the bad spots off and preserved the rest.
Apples can be sliced or cut then frozen or canned for dessert filling or applesauce. My grandmother cans her applesauce without sugar or cinnamon so it can be added to taste later.
One final note about apples. All the leftover cores and skin make great compost, HOWEVER, especially this time of year bees are extra hungry. With flowers coming to an end a pile of rotting fruit or anything sweet for that matter will attract these hungry bees. This is why you often see bees in and around trash cans in the fall. Rotting fruit can actually make bees sick. Still compost them, just bury the fruit remains down in your compost or toss them in a paper bag so the bees don’t have access to them.
Audrey L Elder
Fourteen Acre Wood
The apples pictured above are from our local orchard Sibley Orchards.
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