Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I'm renting a house. That house has a huge apple tree in the backyard. That apple tree has a bajillion apples on it...that have all been attacked by apple flies, leaving behind apple maggots.

1. For next year my options are to trap the apple flies (not vegan), use pesticides (not vegan nor organic), or cover each individual apple with a sock-like covering or clay (not gonna happen because again, bajillion apples, and the clay kind of grosses me out). What would you do?

2. Right now, the apples are not so good to eat raw, but (according to many sources) if they're heated and the bad spots/maggots are removed, they should be okay, especially as a cider. Steps go: dunk apples in water to kill maggots, cut open apples, remove any bad spots/maggots, puree good parts into mash, heat juice to make cider. But you know, killing the maggots, not vegan.

BUT if I don't do that, I either have to let the apples rot on the ground (which makes an amazing breeding ground for apple flies and they will come back multiplied next year, and also my lawn is then covered in rotten apples, so gross) or put them all in the city compost (throwing away the bajillion apples).

So what would you do? Where do you draw the line to claim food over the bugs/creatures that want it too?

Have you looked at organic pesticides? There might even be companies that will come spray your tree for you.

I know it's a personal thing, but I draw my vegan line at respecting the rights of invasive pests. I slaughter the fleas on my cat like an ancient Assyrian army intimidating an enemy city. My take on it is that with some household pests, doing nothing out of compassion will result in a much bigger problem down the road that basically requires toxic pesticides.

Thanks! Yah, I know it comes down to personal preferences...and like, I always try natural deferment methods first when my kitchen gets ants, but in the end I have to protect my food.

Just curious what others would do in this situation :)

I'd make the cider and trap/spray the flies next year. If you buy cider (or almost any other product) in a store, insects and other creatures will most likely have died during it's production, so you might as well do it yourself. Especially if it saves you money and a rotting lawn. You'll know where the food came from and how it was produced.

It's a sad fact of life that it is not possible to eat, travel and work without directly or indirectly killing animals, no matter how seriously you take your veganism.

I don't mind sharing with critters, but when they eat or ruin the whole crop, I may try some hostile methods. If you want to use the apples and most would be damaged otherwise, trap (organic) if you're up for it. If there isn't anything organic, I'd probably leave well enough alone, but I certainly would respect your choice either way.