While it is true that there’s nothing like the photogenic perfection of a flawless apple, I’ve learned that, much like with human beings, it’s what’s on the inside that counts where fruit is concerned.

The point was driven home last week when Bill and I perused the Hollywood Farmer’s Market during our vacation to the west coast. We marveled at all the things this market brimmed with that just weren’t available at our neighborhood farmers’ market back home: bushels of just-picked oranges, organic avocados, fresh-squeezed tangerine juice, a gentle, quiet man standing in the center of the action holding a ‘free hugs’ sign aloft, off-the-charts Korean street food…

Juice – just picked, just squeezed!

Free Hug Accepted

…and then there were…apples. In Los Angeles? I thought we’d left apple territory far behind us when our plane lifted airborne, hurling us mercifully westward away from the snow and sub-20’s temperatures.

The apple booth was manned by three blissfull, bronzed 20-somethings who went about their business humming and smiling. One waded through the crowds with a plate of apple samples. And quite frankly, they looked a little unappetizing. Pale and unevenly shaped, I decided to pass.

Not destined for a magazine cover…but so what?

Bill decided to try a bite, and promptly went over to the cash register (bordered by a life-size wall hanging of Ganesh) and bought a few, saying they were the best he’s ever had.

Lord of the Harvest…

The next morning, I cut into one and was amazed. They were solid, juicy, fragrant, and sweet. And came without an ounce of pesticides or other unnecessary ingredients. They might not have been up to a photo shoot, but they tasted good and I have a feeling, because of what they didn’t have in them, were extra-nourishing.

Unglamorous, but GOOD!

Kind of makes me want to skip those giant, red bulbous apples at the market. Just a little food for thought. The moral of the story: don’t turn your back on a person or an apple just because appearances. XO