An apple or an egg?

Many of us have heard the phrase: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”?The phrase reportedly originates from the Welsh proverb “Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.” Not as catchy in my opinion.

Why the sudden interest in apples??For starters, it is apple harvest season in the US which means lots and lots of different varieties to try!?A recent trip to Michigan resulted in 6 hours at an apple orchard and plant which unlocked many new slices of knowledge.

I’ve picked apples before and even have a few (nonproducing) trees in my yard, but what I learned in those 6 hours will forever change how I look at the bright red Gala or the ever-sweet Honeycrisp.?For instance, did you know that vision systems can read hundreds of apples a minute to make sure the fruit we get in our local grocery is high quality??Did you know that an apple can lose over half its value to the grower if it is downgraded due to bruising??Or how about the force to pull a Golden Delicious, if grasped incorrectly, is enough to leave fingertip sized bruises on said apple??Is it crazy to know that an apple is more fragile than what we consider the most delicate food, the chicken egg?!!!

What had me even more eyes wide, slack jawed were the results I witnessed first-hand.?Some apple farmers had over over 40% of their harvest impacted due to bruises and downgrades.?Can you imagine 40% of your product, service, or business being downgraded 50%?!?Those are huge numbers.?Those are huge opportunities.?With all the care invested to create such a nice product, it was painful to hear such stories.

The next time you pick up that Red Delicious or Granny Smith take a moment to understand that every single apple you see is picked by hand.?Even the slightest knock will result in a bruise and thus lost value for the farmer.??So, take care if you return your first choice to the shelf in lieu of your second, because as mind blowing as it is, the apple is actually more fragile than the egg!