Apples That Never Turn Brown?

I recently read a NY Times article entitled "That Fresh Look, Genetically Buffed." A new genetically engineered apple is being marketed. This apple is made so that it won't turn brown when sliced or bruised.

Wait...what?!

Isn't that a huge component of a fresh apple? Maybe I'd actually like to know if my apple has been sitting around for awhile.

One of their top reasons for this developement is this: "A whole apple is 'for many people too big a commitment,' he said. 'If you had a bowl of apples at a meeting, people wouldn’t take an apple out of the bowl. But if you had a plate of apple slices, everyone would take a slice.' "

I'm all for getting people to eat more fresh fruit, but I don't think this is the best answer. Genetically engineered food, no matter whether it's fresh or packaged, all has the same problem. It hasn't been around long enough to test the ramifications it may have on our bodies & on our earth.

As a Christian, I believe the God created everything in His perfect image. This includes apples. He wanted them to turn brown when exposed to air. He wanted us to know whether they were bruised. Why are we messing around with nature?

One of the problems that they are concerned about is that "the Arctic technology might not keep the apples from turning brown for the required 16 to 21 days." Why would we want to eat an apple that has been exposed to air for 16-21 days? That sounds dangerous to me. Apples come in their very own perfect packaging - the skin. Do they bruise if not handled with care? Yes. But the skin protects the apple & the nutrients it contains. As soon as we start cutting it up, packaging it in plastic, & giving it a long shelf life, we lose nutrients, add extra costs, & waste valuable resources.

An advocate of the genetically engineered apple said "the nonbrowning trait would help growers and packers. 'We discard an awful lot of fruit for even minor bruising,' he said."  In that case, why are they discarding the fruit? There are a lot of hungry people in this country/world who would happily eat a bruised apple. Cut away the bruised part, & you still have plenty of fruit to eat. It's a shame that so much food goes to waste simply because American consumers demand perfection.

Next time you have a bruised apple, don't throw it away! Make applesauce, or Apple Pumpkin Beer Bread. Throw the good parts into pancakes or oatmeal. Or just dip the slices in peanut butter! There are many options.

We don't need our apples to never brown. We just need to be willing to accept a few imperfections. In that respect, apples aren't much different than humans. Just because they aren't perfect doesn't mean we don't love them!

Catching Up

I haven't cooked dinner in over a week, so I haven't had anything to share. We've had so many family dinners, church dinners, & friend dinners that my kitchen is wondering what happened to me.

All I've really been cooking is oatmeal & sweet potatoes.

To note: it's totally possible to burn oatmeal to a blackened char in the slow cooker. I set it on high, planning to turn it to low right before I went to bed. I woke up at 3am, wondering who was baking cookies because the house smelled delicious. Then the smell woke me up again a little before 6am & I leaped out of bed to go turn it off. We still had breakfast, but we also had charred gunk to throw away. Yum.

Since I don't have a recipe or many pictures to share, here's a couple interesting links:

• 3 Truths About Weight Loss You Need to Know - This is a concise article that I think really puts things into perspective. About 2 months ago I went from weighing myself almost every day to only weighing myself once every week or 2. My weight hasn't changed, & I feel better about not constantly monitoring it.

• Stairs Get You There Faster Than Elevators - Studies prove that in a building with multiple levels (such as a hospital) people coud save 14 minutes a day just by using the stairs! I'm a stair climber myself - I probably got it from my mom who climbs every stair she comes across. We went to Italy & rented a small place that was over 80 stairs up.

Multi-Generational Blenders

The Vitamix is here! The Vitamix is here!

Sorry if you heard our excitement from miles away on Monday! I haven't been so excited for a kitchen appliance since receiving my KitchenAid for Christmas a few years ago. Thanks Mom & Dad for the great gift!

The first thing we made was salsa, like the stuff you get at Mexican restaurants. I used a recipe from the cookbook that came with it, but subbed fresh purple basil for the cilantro because that's what we had. Hence the purplish hue.

The Bup informed me that we have a multi-generational collection of blending/chopping appliances.

Hamilton Beach Hand Blender

Actually, this was on loan from my mom up until a few days ago when we bought her one so we could keep it. The sole purpose of this is blending soups or other stuff that's hot and in a pot. It's fun to watch the chunks get sucked into the whirlpool and come out smooth. (Yes, I'm weird!)

Bonus: it's super easy to clean. Rinse, wipe with soapy sponge, rinse, dry.

I use it for: soup

Foley Food Mill

Another donation from Mom's kitchen, this spends most of the year stored away. When I do use it, though, I'm so thankful that it has a home in my kitchen! Anything that goes through it comes out perfectly pureed and free of all seeds, skins, & miscellaneous chunks. Plus I get a good arm workout turning the handle!

I use it for: tomato sauce, peach butter, applesauce

Bella Cucina 17 piece Rocket Blender

This is super nice because the container is a cup so you can just blend, put on a lid, and go. I rarely use the multiple sizes, but maybe if I didn't have so stinkin' many other blenders, I would! :-)

I use it for: smoothies, lattes

Ninja Master Prep Professional

This thing is amazing. It works like a blender and a food processor. The only problem is that if you need to process something for a long time, you have to hold down the on button and then it starts to overheat. It also doesn't completely chop things, so green smoothies require extra blending and still aren't always perfectly smooth.

I use it for: hummus, banana soft serve, smoothies, pumpkin puree, cashew cream, cabbage slaw, Mmmm Sauce, dressing

VitaMix TurboBlend VS

Eeeeeeeek!! This was our anniversary present from my parents. Super sweetness!

We've only owned it since Monday, but I made fresh salsa and cashew butter so far. I'm still learning how it works, so I'm taking it slowly. Smoothies are up next and I can't wait!!

I'm going to use it for: Everything under the sun!

KitchenAid Food Processor 

I own this but it doesn't have all the parts so it only partially functions. Mine has a smaller bowl that fits into the large bowl, allowing me to process small portions of food. It works great that way, but I don't have the blade that lets me process in the big bowl. I rarely use it because the Ninja has bigger bowls. It would be great for nut butters if I could use the big bowl. But now I have a VitaMix! 

Anyone in the market for a small food processor??

*****

If you'd like further reading on helpful appliances, check out this great article on appliances that make healthy eating easier. I really can't imagine not having at least a regular blender. I use at least 1 of these almost every day. Just yesterday I used my Ninja (grate cabbage) & VitaMix (cashew butter).

Moral of the story: Get a blender! It doubles your food options!

Note: Please don't ever make me move to a smaller kitchen. I have more kitchen appliances than I can handle! You just never know what you might need.

**Photo credits go to Amazon.com and VitaMix.com**

Bread Clouds

I would like to lay on a cloud of bread, too!

(source - King Arthur Flour)

King Arthur Flour has a "WHOOOOOOOOPS…" page. You should really check it out. Some of the stuff, like the chocolate peanut butter cake, still looks yummy!