Should you peel your fruit?

It is best to eat fruit that is organically grown. One of the many benefits of eating organically grown is that you can enjoy the peel and the many nutrients it contains. Non-organic fruits are often coated with wax (carnauba wax, candelilia wax, paraffin, shellac and beeswax) or sprayed with ethylene gas to hasten the ripening process. Citrus fruits, such as oranges, apples and pears are fruits that are commonly waxed to keep in moisture, extend their shelf life and to make them shiny and more appealing. Fruits such as bananas and oranges are also commonly sprayed with ethylene gas to hasten their ripening process.

Clean all of your fruit under cold running water. For all non-organic fruit, it is recommended to wash them in a solution of water and a mild dishwashing liquid since this can eliminate at least 30% of pesticide and fungicide residues. However, washing with soap or detergent does not remove the wax that is used to retain the moisture and increase the shelf life of fruit like oranges, apples and pears. Only peeling will remove this wax. While orange peels are not often eaten, we highly recommend organically grown oranges when making zest or marmalade.

Oranges do not necessarily have to have a bright orange color to be good. Oranges that are partially green or have some brown coloration may be just as ripe and tasty as those that are solid orange in color. In fact, the uniform color of non-organic oranges may be due to the injection of Citrus Red Number 2 (an artificial dye) into their skins at the level of 2 parts per million. Organically grown oranges do not contain any type of food coloring or dyes.

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