No Spray Fruit

I get asked quite a bit during peach season if they are "no spray" peaches.

No spray.

What does no spray look like?

Well, rest easy knowing that unless you have a peach, apple, pear, etc. tree in your back yard that you most likely haven't seen or consumed true "no spray" fruit (there is a very short list that can be an acceptation to this but let's stick with apples, pears, and peaches for this post). Even the organic guys are spraying something. Most likely copper to control disease and then what ever approved insecticides they can to help control loss. Or they might be using a clay to coat the fruit to help save them.

The reality is in a commercial setting there is a lot of money on the line.

But beyond that my question to you is:

Is what we want...really what we want?

Well by today's standards, I'm going to say "No!"

How do I know this...well, for example, week after week I have watched every single heirloom tomato get handled and turned over because we are looking for the "best" one...the most perfect, un-cracked, unmarked heirloom tomato.

"No spray" and aesthetic perfection as far as orchard fruit goes...don't really go hand in hand.  

To demonstrate, please feast your eyes on this photographic display of no spray apples (courtesy of my Mom's back yard) and low spray pick-your-own apples....

no spray apples vs. low spray apples

left: low spray and right: no spray

low spray apples

no spray apples

Now just to be fair to the "no spray" apples I ate one...I didn't eat the skin but I cut it open, sliced it and took a bite....

It was delish!  We have no idea what variety they are but they are very good. So just goes to show you can't judge a "book by it's cover."

But my question to you is...if we had the no spray apples and the low spray apples sitting next to each other on our table at the farmers' market, which one would you buy?