this post was submitted on 04 Jun 2026
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Don't be mean. I promise to do my best to judge that fairly.
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I eat the entire apple. Learned to do it so I simultaneously wouldnt litter on hikes and also wouldn't have to carry a slimy apple core in my backpack. Then i got used to it and started doing it all the time. Why not? Free apple.
Also, the girls like a horse boy.... ifyouknowwhatimean
That seems overly strict. I assume you're not eating apple after apple for the amygdalin to do any harm, but then I also don't assume you're eating apple after apple for you to do any harm by just chucking it (without the sticker) somewhere out-of-the-way. I eat so closely to the core that people think it's weird, but the core itself is physically uncomfortable to eat.
Depends on the environment. In some places you can throw an apple core and it will be gone in a week. In some places it can take years.
It all depends on the local environment and ecosystem
Got any examples handy?
Anywhere with lower animal or microbial activity.
The Rocky Mountains are a good example. Cold, dry, and a high elevation (reduced oxygen). You are told in those places explicitly to pack out everything because it won't decomposes.
Desert environments can also have the same issues just due to the dryness.
Here's an article
https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/news-events/the-buzz/even-if-it-is-a-banana-peel-it-is-still-littering
Hey, today I'm one of the 10k! Thanks, stranger!
The truck i learned is to eat the apple from the top down, working your way through the core of less of it into a bite and makes it much less offensive, plus you don't have to finish your apple snack by eating the 'trash' last
Here I wrote some of my thoughts on littering. And here I wrote some of my thoughts on poisoning myself.
In all, my thought is that the cumulative effect of everyone chucking their apple cores on a popular hiking trail would be a negative impact for everyone. And even if the circumstances are different - like being on a more remote trail - I think it is important to maintain the habit and encourage this level of fastidiousness with other outdoors enthusiasts. And really, it is seriously no big deal to just put your apple core in your pants pocket, or hold it in your hand, or exercise the slightest amount of forethought and bring something to use as a trash container with you. Or just eat it.
Litter...food that literally grows on trees?
Scattering non-native seeds is a shit habit.
No way seeds from a domesticated apple are just gonna start growing in a random forest though.
Did you forget your "/s"?
No. I'd be shocked if an apple tree started growing in a forest because someone chucked a core back there. Apple trees... kinda suck, they aren't very robust and they grow best in full sun. With that said I do agree in principle that people should be more careful with invasive plants I just dont see apples outcompeting actual forest trees in a forest. Also they can't self pollinate so that tree wouldn't be able to produce fruit and future apple trees anyways.
It's the habit that's shit, not necessarily the "trash" contents, yes.
It's a "dad joke" for the entire animal kingdom. Shitting out the seeds is quite literally how plants survive and flourish through the ages (before Monsanto genetically nerfed em anyway).
oops, replied at the wrong level... I was referring to the "shit habit"
Poop is also natural, but if everyone pooped along natural hiking trails, it would be a shit show. Established hiking trails tend to have many people walking on them each day, and disposing of waste along them - even organic waste - can have negative impacts on others experiences, as well as change local wildlife's foraging patterns. Just because it is organic matter doesnt mean it decomposes instantly - that apple core or orange peel could be there for weeks or months after you leave it.
Pack it in, pack it out.
**depending on area
Some places you have to pack your poop out. Many places a hole is acceptable for poop.
In terms of apple cores though, it's not much effort to pack that out. When it come to poop look-up the local rules
It definitely depends on the location. Some areas are low use and poop-degrading enough that it is still a sustainable solution.
But at the same time, since I've moved to Colorado where you are supposed to pack out your poop basically everywhere, I've found that it's really no big deal, and feel like we should just adopt this policy everywhere.
I haven't tested it, but by now you should have built up an immunity to poison since apple seeds contain small amounts of cyanide. Or maybe it was arsenic. One of those... I'd have to look it up. But now you don't have to worry about someone poisoning you.
You can't get immune to cyanide ever
But iocane powder on the other hand...
Corpses are immune.
Pretty sure arsenic will build up in your system over time though
It is cyanide. But (1) cyanide does not accumulate in the tissues over time. If you were to have a constant small drip of cyanide injected into your veins, as long as your body could dispose of it at the same rate that you recieved it, you wouldn’t die. Ie, you arent going to see gradual onset cyanide poisoning over years of eating apple seeds. And (2) apple seeds contain a compound that makes cyanide when it is digested. But the compound is inside the apple seeds. So unless you are really focused on grinding the seeds to a paste, you won’t actually have the compound reach your digestive system. It will stay contained within the hard shell of the seed, and you’ll just poop out the whole seed. Which is kind of the whole point of fruit-bearing plants in the first place. The plant wants animals to eat its fruit, then walk away with its seeds in their bellies. Then they poop out the seeds somewhere else, spreading the plant’s lineage geographically, and providing the seed with some good fertilizer to boot. The seeds, and the dangerous compound inside them, don’t just haphazardly pass through your digestive system - they are specifically designed to pass through animal digestive systems unharmed. And (3) the amount of cyanide you can get from apple seeds is quite small. Unless you are actively, like, making apple seed paste and eating it in bulk, you'll be fine.
Bummer. So where can I get some arsenic?
I think you can collect some from wild desert springs in the 4 corners canyon country. Find a seeping pool of water with no plants growing around it and no flies buzzing around
Sorry that's too far, I'll just stick to drinking from my lead pipes thank you very much
It is cyanide. But (1) cyanide does not accumulate in the tissues over time. If you were to have a constant small drip of cyanide injected into your veins, as long as your body could dispose of it at the same rate that you recieved it, you wouldn't die. Ie, you arent going to see gradual onset cyanide poisoning over years of eating apple seeds. And (2) apple seeds contain a compound that makes cyanide when it is digested. But the compound is inside the apple seeds. So unless you are really focused on grinding the seeds to a paste, you won't actually have the compound reach your digestive system. It will stay contained within the hard shell of the seed, and you'll just poop out the whole seed. Which is kind of the whole point of fruit-bearing plants in the first place. The plant wants animals to eat its fruit, then walk away with its seeds in their bellies. Then they poop out the seeds somewhere else, spreading the plant's lineage geographically, and providing the seed with some good fertilizer to boot. The seeds, and the dangerous compound inside them, don't just haphazardly pass through your digestive system - they are specifically designed to pass through animal digestive systems unharmed.
FWIW, my grandpa taught me to eat the whole apple top-to-bottom to help the core's fibrous bits break apart easier. 🤩🤘🏼