The Truth About Wax on Apples and Why I Love Local Farmers Markets
Fall is the perfect season to visit farmers markets and orchards for apples! I love going to the farmers market—there’s always something new and delicious to discover! Today, I chatted with a hobbyist orchard owner and learned a lot about apples. Here in Canada, we’re lucky to have an abundance of apples, but it’s easy to forget how much work goes into growing them. Last time, we picked up some Mac apples, but this time we grabbed Ambrosas. It feels good to support local farmers and enjoy fresh, locally grown produce, especially apples. Fun fact: most store-bought apples are coated in wax, but the ones we got were completely wax-free. The farmer explained that all apples sold in stores must be waxed—something I didn’t know! Plus, local farmers often use fewer pesticides, making it an even better choice for healthier eating.
WAX Coating on your Fruits and Vegetable
"Fruit and vegetable producers and cooperatives use various processes to protect produce. One of these processes is the waxing of fruits and vegetables prior to sale. Waxing these foods seals them, protects them from pests and diseases, and prevents them from drying out, thus maintaining freshness. By their very nature, waxes also enhance the appearance of treated fruit.
Morpholine is a substance which is added to some waxes used to coat apples. It is normally added to the wax as morpholine oleate and dissolves and spreads the wax, allowing for application of the coating in a water-based liquid form. When the wax is dried by a hot air treatment, any residual morpholine evaporates and only trace levels are left.
Morpholine has been used for about twenty-five years in Canada as part of some coatings and has been permitted for the same use in other countries including Australia and the United States." Gov of Canada
Morpholine derivatives are widely used as analgesics, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidepressant, HIV-protease inhibitors, antimicrobial, Anti-viral agents etc. Direct Science
Even if there are no health risks associated with the wax, I would rather not eat wax.
Cleaning your fruits and vegetables
Although it is recommended that we peel most fruits, some fruits like apples are often eaten with the skin on. It is important to wash your fruits and vegetables well to remove the pesticides. Generally, you want to soak your fruits in baking soda and water for 20 minutes, rinse well, and leave to dry before refrigeration. You can also soak your fruits and veggies in the vinegar-water mixture if you don't have baking soda.
For apples I would recommend peeling the skin - I know it sucks cause of the fibre you're losing but wax is very hard to take off. If we know anything about science, wax takes high temperature to melt off, and even then you'll have to scrap it a little to remove it from the surface. -- So I googled it - and found this easy Tik Toc hack for those who love to eat their apples whole.
Here's a Tik-Toc clip showing how you can also drop your apples in boiling water for a few seconds, and then clean them with a coarse towel. This will help remove most of the wax. Wax-free apples are a little duller looking, and shouldn't feel so smooth.
@natashaskitchen GENIUS! Did you know this? How to remove wax from apples from natashaskitchen.com 🍎 #tiktokcooking #tiktokfood #cooking #apple #apples #genius #cookinghacks #natashaskitchen ♬ original sound - natashaskitchen
I recommend visiting your local farmers market to find some local apples, and enjoy them wax-free without worries!
Happy Fall! Enjoy them apples!
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