The apples imported from the US really stand out in British supermarkets because they are so shiny!
Can any of you knowledgeable North Americans tell me why? What have they been sprayed with? (It looks like furniture polish to me!) And why on earth would anyone bother? Apples produce their own waxy sheen if they are stored but it's nothing like the mirror-finish on these.
Final questions. What do you do to get rid of it? And does it bother you?
Thanks in advance. It's been puzzling me for a few years.
It is wax. Our organic apples don't look shiny but "conventional" ones are definitely waxed. I would recommend washing them with soap but it still may not get rid of the wax.
Nelie,
Sure wish we had an organic store around here (small town USA). Quick question since Silverbirch brought up apples. Are apples good for you if you peel them? I know or heard, like potatoes, most of the nutrients are in the peeling. I can eat potatoe peeling but not apple peeling. I hate it, but i love apples (the green ones only). Yea, i'm the dreaded picky eater!
There's a lot of info there to support the need to eat the peeling.
I never cared for the peeling until I started slicing my apples very thin. It seemed to make a difference for me.
I use a produce wash such as Fit to clean my apples. They claim it removes all of the wax and pesticides. The wax wouldn't bother me if it were just wax, but it traps the pesticides.
And I love apple peels, dd still has a hard time chewing peels so I peel her slices and eat the peels! Yes smaller slices make it easier to eat the peels, as does buying unwaxed organic apples...the wax makes the peels tough and bitter even after removing as much as you can
I had also heard instead of Fit, you could use a bleach wash as well (very diluted!). I really don't care for apples but I recently bought some organic ones just because.
The wax wouldn't bother me if it were just wax, but it traps the pesticides.
Crikey! Thank you very much for the information. Most of what we eat is organic but I had found some nice apples which weren't. Jazz is the variety. It looks as though one of our supermarkets, Tesco, may have developed this variety as they source it from all over the world. The French ones were OK but the American ones have come in with this wax on.
My son won't eat them ... And I don't think I will now. Back to the drawing board for apples. Oh, if only I was still living in the house in the orchard!
Silverbirch - I think I've seen produce wash in one of the wholefood shops I sometimes shop in in Leeds. I've never bought any though, and can't remember what the brand name was.
Silverbirch - I think I've seen produce wash in one of the wholefood shops I sometimes shop in in Leeds. I've never bought any though, and can't remember what the brand name was.
Thanks, Helen. My plan is to add fruit to the organic veg box we already get. I feel no need to go down the industrial food route any further ...
OT: have you considered the Snowdonia marathon as a future challenge? It's a killer. I'd come and cheer you on!
I'm not a big fan of red or golden delicious apples (the two biggest sellers in the US, at least until recently, I think some of the other varieties are starting to catch up), but I love the New Zealand varieties. They don't appear to be waxed, but sometimes seem "polished," to a natural gloss. I don't use a sanitizer, but do run the apple under running water, and rub the skin.
I watched an orchard documentary and they washed the apples as part of their handling of the fruit, so I assumed most growers did this, so I wasn't as concerned with pesticides as perhaps I should have been. I was more concerned with the dozens of people handling the fruit before I did.
From what I've read, apples actually contain more pesticide residue than other fruits and veggies (I think most tree fruit does--if I'm remembering correctly.) I will only buy apples at the farmers market (organic if at all possible.) They are never waxed and they are crisp and juicy. The ones at the grocery store have always seemed mealy to me. Maybe they've been stored too long or something?
I buy from farmers' markets whenever I can too. There isn't a guarantee that the home farmer isn't going to over-use pesticides, or fertilizers, but our local farmers are pretty savvy, so I think the risk is minimal.
I remember when I was small, we had an apple tree, and Dad rarely sprayed for insects (which drove Mom mad, because the apples were always bird and insect eaten). Maybe once every five years or so, he would use a pesticide spray. I don't know how organic famers control for insects, but they must use some sort of organic pesticide or use some other method to control insects or the apples would look horrible, and most people wouldn't buy them.
The ones at the grocery store have always seemed mealy to me. Maybe they've been stored too long or something?
I think that some are indeed stored too long - I mean apples are a fall crop, and when you get a "fresh" US apple in the late spring, it's been in storage since fall! Of course some varieties - like delicious - tend to be mealier in general. I never buy delicious. I like Fuji, Braeburn, Pink Lady, and of those nice crisp varieties. Often I choose by price rather than variety.
We don't get many organic apples in our groceries, though I will buy them when we do.
US apples
Apples produce their own waxy sheen if they are stored but it's nothing like the mirror-finish on these. 
It's been puzzling me for a few years.
