Rotten Apples?

An investigation by the Sydney Morning Herald has determined that apples sold in Woolworths "The Fresh Food People" are up to a year old. . I just bought a bag of refrigerated Granny Smiths last week.

While I think that the technology is amazing, swirling the apples with ethylene to maintain a cool temperature, it rather puts me off apples. My brother works in the refrigeration field, where he designs food storage systems amongst other things. I must ask him about this.

This shatters my idea of the fresh apple. I think I will stick to stone fruit, which is in season at the moment in Australia. And how about some disclosure from the supermarkets on their storage policy.

Anyway, here is a great Apple poem to cheer you up as you head out to buy your apples.

The Apple and the Worm

I bit an apple
That had a worm.
I swallowed the apple,
I swallowed the worm.
I felt it squiggle,
I felt it squirm.
I felt it wiggle,
I felt it turn.
It felt so slippery,
Slimy, scummy,
I felt it land - PLOP -
In my tummy!

I guess that worm is there to stay
Unless . . .
I swallow a bird some day!

New Zealand Spits Pips over 86 Year Old Apple Ban

Fresh from defending the Banana Barons from cheap Philippine imports, the Australian Government is facing a new front in the Fruit Wars, this time with New Zealand.

Australia has barred New Zealand apples since 1921 after fire blight was found in them.

New Zealand exports about $NZ300 million ($A261.5 million) of apples a year and trade with Australia could initially be worth $NZ9 million. It has been lobbying to have the ban lifted since 1986, based on its assertion commercially traded apples do not carry fire blight.

"Eighty-six years seems enough for New Zealand to wait for access to the Australian market for New Zealand apples. We believe science is on our side, and we believe we will win this case."

Fire blight is a bacterial disease that attacks apple and pear trees as well as rosebushes, giving branches and blossoms a burnt appearance. It can stop fruit from growing and in severe cases can kill the tree.