My choice is green!

My First Time!

Ever wonder what all the hype about being green is? I do... or did for that matter. My first experience of the "going green" fad was when I went to my local grocery store, walked in the produce aisle and there was a sign that read "Organic Apples." I was curious... Organic Apples? Aren't all apples technically organic, they all come from Mother Nature don't they? What makes an apple organic vs. non organic? But then right below those words were the words all "non-organic" foodies laugh at, the sign said "2 for $2.00." Two dollars? Really? And all I am getting for those $2 are two apples? You have to be kidding me. But I was intrigued. So I took 2 apples put them in my cart with the rest of my food and went on my way. When I got home and unpacked my groceries I put the 2 apples on the counter, washed them and forgot about them. I went about my day as I normally would, laundry, dishes, cleaning, checking work email, etc... After my normal routine I went back into the kitchen and grabbed one of those so called organic apples, a bottle of water and plopped on the couch to watch my recorded guilty pleasure soap opera. First thing I do when I eat a piece of fruit is look for that pesty sticker. Anyone else hate those stickers as much as I do? I swear they only do it to make me mad! But this time the sticker said ORGANIC. Interesting. What makes an apple organic? I told myself to Google that later. All right... Here Goes... I gently gave it a little squeeze, I smelled it to see if it smells just like all the other apples that I have eaten before, it did. So what make this apple so special? As I sink my front two teeth into this glorious yellow and green colored Fuji apple, as sea of juice runs down my chin. The first bite was like an orgasm in my mouth. Firm, but soft. Sweet, but spicy. Crisp and Crunchy. This apple was like no other apple I have eaten before. For the next ten minutes I devoured this succulent gift from god, right down to core. I found myself sucking on that core for another minute or so until I realized that I was eating seeds. I stopped myself. I couldn't believe how good that apple was. That apple, that wonderful, magnificent, luscious apple had me in such a daze, such a tail-spin that I missed the first 10 minutes of my program and I had to rewind it and start over. For the next two hours all my brain could think about was that other apple sitting on the counter in the kitchen. I wanted to save it. Save it for breakfast tomorrow, a snack at lunch time, or maybe I should save it and give it to my boyfriend and let him experience the Ecstasy as I did. But I couldn't resist. I ate that one too. High class problem I guess, craving an apple instead of some empty calorie chocolaty snack. But that apple was just as good as the first one. I couldn't believe it. ORGANIC APPLES!

Organic Apples vs. Non-Organic Apples

So after I ate those apples I was curious. What are the big differences between these fruits. I read somewhere that after the apples are harvested and cleaned the apples are then coated with a hefty dosage of "Shellac Wax." Now, most of you are like WHAT?? I was too. When I read a little more it said that they do this to seal in the shine and reduce shrinkage of the apple to stay big and juicy. I didn't see this "wax" as a big deal if it was meant to help the apple stay fresh. BOY WAS I WRONG. I did a little more reading and found out the Shellac Wax is also used for a variety of other things. For instance, did you know that the same wax that is put on apples is also used on the handlebars of bicycles? And Shellac is also used as a coating or primer for wood tables. Wait, I am eating wax that is also strong enough to help prevent scratches on a table? YUCK. As if this wasn't enough, I read something so disgusting I almost didn't ever want to eat another apple again. ALMOST!

"This coating may not be considered as vegetarian as it may, and probably does, contain crushed insects. In the tablet manufacture trade, it is sometimes referred to as "beetlejuice" for this reason". Straight from Wiki itself. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shellac

So ask yourself next time you bite into an apple... Does this taste like bugs? :-)

What about you? What was your first experience that turned you into a Granola Eatin' Greenie?