We all know that the surface of an apple, when cut into pieces, will turn brown pretty quickly and then start to decay. However, the apples grown by an old Japanese farmer named Hidefumi will not turn brown when cut, and will not rot even after 2 years. They only shrink and dry out, emitting a sweet odor like dried fruit.
Growing apples organically
Hidefumi grows apples using completely organic methods and no pesticides at all. Since 1978, he has never used pesticides or chemical fertilizers. In the beginning, the apple trees almost died because of the insects surrounding them. The whole garden was listless.
He insisted on improving the earth with ecological approaches. It was not until the eighth year that the apple trees grew seven flowers. In the ninth year, flowers bloomed all over the garden. The apple trees became resistant to many different diseases. A news report described the garden as follows:
“When people come to Hidefumi’s garden of 8,800 square meters, what they see are grasshoppers jumping everywhere, bees flying around, frogs croaking loudly. Mice and rabbits run free. People have to divide the weeds forcibly with their hands to get near the apple trees.
“Why is it so underdeveloped? Because in this place, the original ecological system has been saved, and the real nature is preserved. No pesticide or chemical fertilizer has been used since 1978. Yet the apples grown here have an amazing vitality. They will not rot even after being stored for 2 years, and a taste of one will immediately provide an overwhelming sense of blessings.”
A Japanese woman, Okasuki Tomoko, who specializes in health care, is also against eating vegetables grown with chemical fertilizer and pesticides. She is more than 80 years old, with pretty hair and strong teeth. She travels around Japan to teach how organic fruit, even if not being stored in the refrigerator, will not rot even if it turns dry and yellow. She grows vegetables to feed herself.
So organic foods are the key to health and longevity. It gives you vitality, which is the best medicine to eradicate diseases. That’s also why ancient people did not need refrigerators. If we can feed ourselves on organic food and refrain from using non-organic food, health is not far away.
Translated by Audrey Wang and edited by Helen
