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Today's
Tidbit:
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APPLES
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Apples
are ripe when picked and need
to be kept cold so they do not soften
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At
home, store apples
in the refrigerator to keep them crisp. Apples
can keep for about 6 weeks in the refrigerator
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To store apples
for a longer time, there are a number of methods of preservation:
canning, drying, and freezing
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Don't store apples
with broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, or leafy greens;
apples
give off ethylene gas that can damage these vegetables
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However, ethylene gas will speed the ripening of bananas, kiwis,
peaches, plums, and pears. Place these fruits into a paper
bag with an apple
to ripen much quicker
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Apples
are nutritious! Very
nutritious!!!
fat free
sodium free
cholesterol free
high in potassium
vitamin A 2%*
vitamin C 8%*
iron 2%*
total carbohydrates
22 grams
sugars 16 grams
80 calories
high in fiber**,
***
* % daily value
based on 2000-calorie diet
**
Apples are loaded with
pectin, a soluble fiber that aids in digestion; an
apple provides as much
dietary fiber as a bowl of bran cereal (1/5 daily recommended intake).
*** Studies on
apples
suggest that the fiber and flavanoid compounds have been linked
to reducing cholesterol and fighting off strokes and heart attacks
(Michiganapples.com)
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Apple
pie - 9" requires 8 to 9 medium-sized
apples or approximately
3 pounds
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Apple
Waxing - Freshly harvested
apples
have their own waxy coating that protects them from moisture loss
and enhances firmness retention. Apples
are washed at the fruit packing sheds to remove dust and chemical
residues. This washing removes about half of the original
apple
wax. Natural wax (usually carnauba or shallac) is replaced;
only a drop or two of wax is needed to give an
apple a shiny, protective
coating and help keep the crunch to the last bite. As of May
1994, retailers must list coated produce they sell (USFDA)
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Apples
- Quick Guide for Specific Uses
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Fresh
Out-of-hand
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Applesauce
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McIntosh
Cortland
Jonathan
Red Delicious
Golden Delicious
Winesap
Melrose
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Golden
Delicious
Melrose
McIntosh
Cortland
Jonathan
Winesap
Rome Beauty
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Pies
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Baking
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Cortland
Jonathan
Melrose
Rome Beauty
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Jonathan
Golden Delicious
Winesap
Rome Beauty
McIntosh
Cortland
Melrose
Winesap
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Freezing
for Slicing
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Freezing
for Sauce
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Jonathan
Golden Delicious
Winesap
Red Delicious
McIntosh
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Cortland
McIntosh
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Freezing
for Baking
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Baldwin
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Cider
is usually made from a blend of different varieties of apples:
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Sweet
Subacid
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Aromatic
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Rome
Beauty
Delicious
Cortland
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Red
Delicious
Golden Delicious
McIntosh
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Mildly
Acidic to Slightly Tart
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General
Use
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Winesap
Jonathan
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Jonathan
Golden Delicious
Winesap
Melrose
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Apple
Recipes
"An
Apple A Day..."
"An
apple a day......." makes a refreshing snack, a nutritious part of
breakfast, a crunchy side for lunch, and a perfect late-night bite.
Below you'll find some interesting "apple" facts.
| 7500
varieties of apples are grown throughout the world |
| The
largest apple ever picked from a tree weighed 3 pounds, 2 ounces,
and was picked in Caro, Michigan |
| In
the 1920's the Red Delicious was first planted in Washington |
| Fresh
apples float because 25% of their volume is air |
| One
of George Washington's hobbies was pruning his apple trees |
| The
top apple-producing state is Washington |
| The
most popular variety in the US is the Red Delicious |
| In
1995 apples became Washington state's first billion dollar crop |
| There
are about 300 different apple varieties are grown in the US |
| Most
apple blossoms are pink when they open but gradually fade to white |
| The
longest-lived apple tree in the US was reportedly planted in 1647
and was still bearing fruit when a derailed train struck it in
1866 |
| Apples
are a member of the Rose family |
| Granny
Smith apples were planted in the late 1960's |
| Archeologists
have found evidence that humans have been enjoying apples since
at least 6500 BC |
| The
average size of an apple orchard in the US is 50 acres |
| Total
apple production in 1999 was 252 million carton valued at $1.5
billion |
| In
1730 the first apple nursery was opened in Flushing, NY |
| Roughly
50% of apples grown in the US are sold fresh, and 50% are processed
into apple juice, apple sauce or dehydrated apple products |
| Washington
state adopted the first grade standards for apples |
| Hurricane
Camille in 1969 wiped out an orchard in Virginia; years later
trees grew up from those Virginia seeds which had apparently been
washed in an orchard in Michigan |
| In
1999 the People's Republic of China led the world in apple production
followed by the US |
| Some
apple trees will grow to a height of 40 feet |
| Apples
brought into the US may have come from Canada and New Zealand |
| The
Esopus Spitzenburg apple variety was Thomas Jefferson's favorite
and is thought to be a parent of the Jonathan |
| Apples
are grown commercially in 36 states |
| Fresh
apples are available year round |
| Some
apple trees live over a hundred years |
| One
apple tree produces apples enough to fill 20 boxes every year;
each box weighs 42 pounds |
| Apples
are grown in all 50 states |
| Apples
trees take 4 or 5 years to produce their first apples |
| The
first apples exported from the US were Newton Pippins in 1768;
some were sent to Benjamin Franklin in London |
| Americans
eat an average of 18 pounds of fresh apples each year |
| Stand
an apple on its natural bottom and cut in half horizontally; the
core is a beautiful star shape |
| Apples
are grown in every climate in the US - in deserts, mountains,
flatlands, river valleys, and along the Great Lakes |
| Apple
blossom is the state flower of Michigan |
| Americans
eat an average of 45.5 pounds of apple products including fresh,
juice, sauce, dried... |
| In
1997 there were 9000 apple growers with orchards covering 453,200
acres |
| The
pilgrims planted the first US apple trees in the Massachusetts
Bay Colony |
| Many
growers use abundant varieties of dwarf apple trees |
| In
Europe, the leading apple producing countries are France, Italy
and Germany |
| Apples
were a favorite fruit of ancient Greeks and Romans |
| It
takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple |
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Apple Varieties
Arkansas
Black
Baldwin
Braeburn
Cameo
Cortland
Empire
Fuji
Gala
Golden Delicious
Granny Smith
Gravenstein |
Honey Crisp
Ida Red
Jonagold
Jonathan
Liberty
McIntosh
Melrose
Mutsu (Crispin)
Newtown Pippin
Northern Spy
Ozark Gold |
Pacific Rose
Pink Lady
Red Delicious
Rome Beauty
Southern Rose
Sommerfeld
Spartan
Stayman
Winesap
York Imperial |
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Arkansas
Black
Characteristics:
firm, coarse, good flavor, large, deep purplish skin
Uses: applesauce, pies, baking,
out-of-hand
Season: (Harvest) Mid-October
Baldwin
Characteristics:
fairly tart with touch of sweetness
Uses: all purpose cooking
apple
Braeburn
Characteristics:
sweet, crisp, juicy, high-impact aromatic flavor, stores well, holds shape
when baked, greenish-gold with red sections to almost solid red
Uses: pies, baked, applesauce,
out-of-hand, salads
Season: Mid-October
Cameo
Characteristics: :
crispy, juicy and snappy, pleasantly sweet-tart flavor and firm texture
Uses: fantastic eating
apple, excellent both cooked and fresh -- a wonderful dessert apple
Season: October - August
Cortland
Characteristics:
slightly tart, tender, smooth/shiny red skin
Uses: cooking, out-of-hand
Season: September --->
Early Spring
Empire*
Characteristics:
slightly tart, juicy, firm
Uses: out-of-hand, applesauce,
pies, baking, salad, freezing
Season: Mid-October
* Empire is a cross of McIntosh and Red Delicious
Fuji*
Characteristics:
more sweet than tart, dense, crisp, spicy sweetness, improve with storage,
yellowish-green flesh, yellow-green with red highlights to very red
Uses: out-of-hand, applesauce
Season: Mid-October
*Fuji was developed in Japan by crossing the
Japanese Mutsu (Crispin) with a California Winesap.
Gala*
Characteristics:
sweet, aromatic, crisp, yellow-orange skin with red striping
Uses: salad, out-of-hand,
pies, cider
*Gala was developed in New Zealand.
Golden
Delicious
Characteristics:
very sweet, mellow flavor, juicy
Uses: out-of-hand, pies, applesauce,
baked
Granny
Smith
Characteristics:
moderately tart, sharp/snappy flavor, sweet-tart, crisp
Uses: pies, all general cooking
Season: September --->
Early Spring
Gravenstein*
Characteristics:
tart, juicy, crisp, green skin streaked with red
Uses: pies, applesauce, NO
BAKE!
Season: August --->Early
Fall
*Gravenstein apples are available mainly on the
West Coast.
Honeycrisp*
Characteristics:
Uses:
Season:
*Honeycrisp is a cross of Macoun and Honeygold.
Ida
Red*
Characteristics:
moderately tart, juicy, crisp, mildly acidic flavor, distinctive tangy
tart, bright red, larger than Jonathan
Uses: apple butter, baking,
all purpose
Season: Mid-October --->
Late May
*Ida Red (Idared) is a cross of Jonathan and
Wagener varieties.
Jonagold*
Characteristics:
juice, crisp, sweet-tart, tangy-sweet, stores exceptionally well, creamy
yellow flesh, yellow-green base with bluish stripe
Uses: out-of-hand, cooking
*Jonagold is a cross of Jonathan and Golden Delicious.
Jonathan*
Characteristics:
tart, tender, juicy, rich flavor, effervescent tang, holds shape well
Uses: pies, cider
Season: September --->
Spring
Liberty
Characteristics:
tart, coarse, red over green, medium size, McIntosh-type
Uses: sauces, pies, baking,
freezes
McIntosh
Characteristics:
mildly tart, juicy, sweet, crisp, spicy flavor
Uses: out-of-hand, cider,
cobblers, crisps, pies**
**....better combined with Granny Smith
**....better suited to double-crust pies
Melrose*
Characteristics:
mildly acidic, store until Jan 1
Uses: out-of-hand
Season: Mid-October --->
Late May
*Melrose is the Ohio state apple.
Mutsu
Crispin
Characteristics:
tart, spicey, very juicy, crunchy flesh, sweet, large, yellow-green
Uses: applesauce, cider, out-of-hand,
salads, freezes, pies, baking
Newtown
Pippin
Characteristics:
mildly tart, firm, greenish-yellow to yellow skin
Uses: out-of-hand, cooking
Season: September --->
Spring
Northern
Spy*
Characteristics:
sweet-tart, rich flavor, large, firm, red skin marked by yellow streaks
Uses: all purpose
Season: October ---> Early
Spring
*Northern Spy is especially suited for open-faced
pies and tarts.
Ozark
Gold*
Characteristics:
large, yellow
Uses: out-of-hand, pies, cakes,
applesauce
Pacific
Rose*
Characteristics:
refreshingly sweet
Uses: baking, out-of-hand
*Pacific Rose is from New Zealand.
Pink
Lady
Characteristics:
crisp, tart, pleasantly sweet
Uses:
Season: Summer
Red
Delicious*
Characteristics:
mild flavor, sweet, juicy, deep ruby skin, classic heart shape, thick
skin
Uses: out-of-hand
Season: September --->
Early Summer
*Red Delicious is America's favorite - 300 strains!
Rome
Beauty*
Characteristics:
mild, sweet, rich flavor, hard premium baking apple that holds its shape
well
Uses: all purpose
Season: October ---> Early
Summer
*Rome Beauty is the favorite of Workday
Gourmet!
Southern
Rose*
Characteristics:
firm, crisp, tart-sweet
Uses:
*Southern Rose is from New Zealand
Sommerfeld*
Characteristics:
very crisp, sweet
Uses:
*Sommerfeld is a cross of Fuji and Gala.
Spartan
Characteristics:
aromatic, fine flavor, semi-firm, medium-sized, dark red, McIntosh-type
Uses: sauce, pies, baking,
out-of-hand
Stayman*
Characteristics:
rich, tart, wine-like flavor
Uses: out-of-hand, baked,
cider, all-purpose
Season: October ---> Early
Spring
*Stayman
is a winesap-cross variety, popular in Virginia.
Winesap*
Characteristics:
very firm, aromatic, spicy bite, tart and sweet flavors, very juicy, wine-like
flavor
Uses: out-of-hand, cooking,
cider
Season: November ---> Early
Summer
York
Imperial*
Characteristics:
slightly tart, rich flavor, crisp, juicy, firm, wine flavor, shiny red,
medium-large
Uses: pies, baked, cider
Season: October ---> Early
Spring
*York Imperial retains its sweet flavor even
after long storage.
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