Jean-Louis,

> And do you eat carrots and potatoes with the dirt, because in ancient
> times they couldn't wash it under the tap?

Normally I dont't wash salats, carrots, potatoes or anything else.
At least as long as the dust film is thin. This behaviour has a
background: It was noticed that Indian people who live in England
did get deficiency sympthoms. The reason was, AFAIK, that the
Indians in England did wash all their food while in their home
contry they did not. So the people in England didn't get some
of the proteins and other substanced that are contained in or
produced by the micro-organisms and minerals on the vegetable skin.

> Your attitude is probably the safest one, but consider the following:
> most the defense system of the fruit is in the skin, which contains
> toxic substances, so the skin is less useful to the body than the

Yes, that is a very good point. And I want to add that the
instinct is probably able to tell if it is good or harmfull
to eat the skin. Sometimes the toxins or other substances of
the defense system might even be usefull to our bodies.

-Karl