Judging Produce By Its Cover

The first televised Presidential debate took place September 26, 1960.  Candidates participating were Vice President Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy.  Vice President Nixon, having become ill prior to the debate, appeared pale and unwell.  The Times wrote that Senator Kennedy “maintained an expression of gravity suitable for a candidate for the highest office in the land,” while the vice president “dabbed frequently at the perspiration that beaded out on his chin.”  That year image became an important factor on determining who the leader of our nation would be.

Appearance is a deciding factor in many decisions we make every day, and it doesn’t stop with people.  We also judge our fruits and vegetables by their “looks”.   We want the reddest and brightest tomatoes, spotless, yellow bananas, and blemish free apples, but by judging a book by its cover, or in this case, fruit or vegetable, we may be compromising satisfying taste and ingesting more pesticides than necessary.

One of my favorite memories is eating Grandma’s heirloom tomatoes right out of the garden on a warm summer day.  (I know now to wash with Environné Fruit & Vegetable Wash first.)  The luscious fruits and vegetables from your garden or farmer’s market have been able to follow Mother Nature’s course while the commercially grown produce is bred for its appearance, longevity or shelf life, speed to the market, as well as resistance to disease and pests. It often has tougher skins, and many varieties may be sprayed with a wax to give it sheen and to keep it from over-ripening.  Compare the tomato grown from your garden or from a farmer’s market to the tomato you purchase at the supermarket.  Which one do you think will taste better?  My money is rooting for the “home-grown tomato.”

The concern isn’t just about judging appearance and lack of taste, but also the effects of consuming pesticides.  Because we are such picky consumers agriculturists are forced to use chemicals to not only ward off pests, and diseases common when battling mother nature, but also to prevent blemishes and to make food look more appealing to consumers.  John McClung, spokesman for the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association, acknowledges that chemicals are used to “some degree” for cosmetic purposes.  Less importance placed on appearance has many potential benefits. Reduced chemical use could lower costs for growers, lessen exposure to farm workers, and minimize the chance of creating chemical resistance among problem insects.

Next time you are shopping for your fruits and vegetables broaden your horizon and take a chance on that locally grown, but lumpy heirloom tomato, or the not so perfect looking apple.  It may surprise you that just like people; the goodness on the inside far exceeds the lack luster on the outside.