So true. Because of that, I have taken it upon myself to include cooking lessons for our church's youth group. My wife is the leader & my job is to assist... especially in food prep & cleanup. Once I saw how ignorant they all were when it came to food prep, I switched to where I would demonstrate cooking some meals & introducing them to foods they are not familiar with. Last night I brought out the panini press and let them assist in making their own sandwiches. Most had no idea what a panini was. I also picked some fresh basil from the garden and demonstrated making pesto, which we used on some sandwiches. Of course, most didn't know what pesto was. I'm trying to show them cooking fresh food does not have to be complicated. I don't measure anything, which is my normal way of cooking, so that they don't get all worried & bothered about recipes. Shrimp scampi was a hit a couple of weeks ago and they all assisted in the prep & cooking. For that meal I picked orange bell peppers from the garden & demonstrated making a vinaigrette for the salad.
About the only apple I can grow that might not have spots is Arkansas Black, but even then the coloring is not uniform and I doubt anyone would buy it at the store. Most bad spots in a natural apple don't impact the whole apple so if it is not too big, I've found it actually enhances the flavor of the apple. It seems to cause the apple to ripen sooner. Many a time, I've taken folks into the orchard, pulled an apple with say black rot the size of a quarter on one side, and let them taste the other half of the apple. They expect it taste rotten or off... but are surprised it is juicy, crisp & sweet.
