North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>]

At 11:50 AM 4/28/2006, you wrote:
> I suspect the
> (Oriental Fruit)moth is probably the culprit.  How did anything ever
> survive before the discovery of chemical sprays? 

They survived, but folks didn't anticipate or demand the 'perfect' fruit
today's consumers want. 
The good ones were savored, but the misshapen, 'wormy', or otherwise
imperfect ones were baked in pies, peeled, sliced and dried or canned,
pressed to make cider, or fed to the livestock.
Or, they just ate around the bad spots.

Maybe I'm showing my age, but  I remember the old elementary school
joke,
"What's worse than finding a worm in your apple?
Finding half a worm!!"

LLP