Apples are one of the most popular fruits in the world. At present there are at least 7,500 different varieties that vary in shape, color, texture, firmness, crispness, acidity, juiciness, sweetness, nutritional value, and harvesting period. Some of the most common types are Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Jonagold, Granny Smith, Rome Beauty, Cripps Pink, Gala, Braeburn, Cameo. Each type of apple has a distinct color and flavor.
You’ve heard the saying, “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away.” While it will certainly take more than a daily apple to keep you healthy, it is a step in the right direction. Apples are delicious, great for snacking, low in calories, a natural mouth freshener, and inexpensive.
There is absolutely no cholesterol or sodium in apples. So, munch away to your heart’s content. Apples are a source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber such as pectin actually helps to prevent cholesterol buildup in the lining of blood vessel walls, thus reducing the incident of atherosclerosis and heart disease. The insoluble fiber in apples provides bulk in the intestinal tract, holding water to cleanse and move food quickly through the digestive system.
It is a good idea to eat apples with their skin. Almost half of the vitamin C content is just underneath the skin. Eating the skin also increases insoluble fiber content. Most of an apple’s fragrance cells are also concentrated in the skin and as they ripen, the skin cells develop more aroma and flavor.
Apples are a good source of potassium, folic acid, vitamin C, and calcium. Apples also contain flavonoids and antioxidants that improve immune function and prevent heart disease and some cancers.
A medium apple, approximately 5 ounces, has only 81 calories and 3.7 grams of fiber from pectin, a soluble fiber. A medium apple supplies 159 mg of potassium, 3.9 mcg of folic acid, 7.9 mg of vitamin C, and 9.6 mg of calcium.
Though some historians are in dispute over exactly who first cultivated the wild apple, many believe it was the Romans who discovered they could cultivate wild apples into fleshy, sweet, and juicy fruits.
The colonists brought the apple with them to America in the form of seeds, often called pips. Early in 1629 the Boston Bay Company placed an order for apple seeds from England
No apple history would be complete without a mention of America’s beloved Johnny Appleseed. As the tale goes, he loved apples so much that he decided to travel the country barefoot in his overalls with his pockets filled with apple seeds and another bag of apple seeds slung over his shoulder. The legend says that as he traveled the countryside, he tossed these seeds randomly to create a country filled with apple trees. Johnny Appleseed truly did exist. His real name was John Chapman, born in Massachusetts in 1774. He did indeed love apples, learned about their cultivation, and started many apple nurseries that stretched from the Allegheny River in the East as far west as Ohio. His dedication to apple cultivation earned him his legendary nickname, Johnny Appleseed.
In the United States, Michigan, Washington, and New York have become the commercial centers of apple production, with the Pacific Northwest leading the pack, producing more than 35 million bushels a year. Apples grown in Washington state came to the west from the east coast, and originally from the seeds brought here by the colonists from England.
As scientists and nutritionists studied the apple, a field of study called “pomology” evolved, to study the benefits of apples.
The next time you go grocery shopping don’t forget about the apples. Even better, take your family to an apple orchard for an apple picking adventure!
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Eleisia Whitney has a Watkins Home Business. She enjoys cooking and baking with Watkins extracts, spices, herbs, and sauces for healthy meals. Eleisia publishes a Watkins Newsletter, Around the Kitchen Table, that brings you recipes, cooking and health tips, and contests for free Watkins products.
Read the current issue at http://www.everydaynecessities.com/sept15-07newsletter.htm
Visit her at http://www.everydaynecessities.com and
http://www.WatkinsOnline.com/eleisiawhitney
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