While those beautiful supermarket apples might look like they were picked yesterday, it is simply impossible. Supermarket produce has generally been through one hell of a journey toget to you, and like most of us after a big trip, comes off a little worse forwear. Supermarket produce spends weeks in transit, from hours on a truck andmaybe even a plane, to endless days in a cold room, it is far from fresh by thetime it reaches you.
It is common practice forsupermarkets to coat fruit and vegetables in a wax that will make the produceappear shiny and also to preserve whatever "freshness" may be be left. If you have ever tried to clean wax off anything, you will know how hard it is to get off. If you don't clean it off, you ingest it. As if wax isn't enough, supermarket produce is also often sprayed with fungicides for mould andif they have crossed a border at any point are most likely fumigated with methyl bromide to comply with quarantine regulations.
Your own garden, local farmers market, farm gate or your localgreen grocer are great sources of fresh produce. Just make sure you are buying from the grower. If you buy from a wholesaler or aggregator, check how old the produce is. Remember - once harvested,produce starts to lose nutrients, so local produce with a shorter distance fromharvest to your plate is far better for you. See more at Buying Local for the Environment.Image: Elnur/Shutterstock