more than you ever wanted to know about...

Apples!

I always want to know what's in the food I eat. Maybe you do to? So here's my first post about what's in food that's good for us...sometimes bad for us. My hope is that we can learn this stuff together.

My first subject is the ubiquitous apple. From what I've read, the apple deserves the saying "an apple a day keeps..."  Here we go!

Studies by researchers at Cornell University show that the combination of phytochemicals in apples play a very important role in antioxidant and anti- cancer activity.

An apple packs more cancer fighting antioxidant capability than a 1,500 milligram megadose of vitamin C.

Antioxidant phytonutrients found in apples also fight the damaging effects of bad LDL cholesterol to keep your heart healthy.

Daily apple eaters breathe more easily due to stronger lung function.

Apples contain boran, an essential trace element that helps harden bones decreasing the effects of osteoporosis.

Apples are loaded with pectin, a soluble fiber that aids digestion. One apple provides as much dietary fiber as a bowl of bran cereal. (And tastes better too!)

The complex carbohydrates in apples give your body a longer, more even energy boost compared to high- sugar snacks.

Apples contain no fat, no sodium, no cholesterol and taste great!

There are over 2500 varieties of apples grown in the United States.

Apples stored carefully at cool temperatures will be fresh for almost a year.

Apples can be red, yellow, green, or any combination of those colors.

Apples can rust. The flesh of the apple contains a chemical that reacts with oxygen just like metal does and it will turn brown when exposed to the air.

Did you ever wonder how to store apples? Here's the right way to do it!

Apples ripen six to ten times faster at room temperature than if they were refrigerated. Store apples in a plastic bag in the crisper section of your refrigerator. This will maintain the right temperature and humidity level to keep the apples crisper and juicier longer. For optimal storage, apples should be kept at 35-40 degrees with relative humidity of 80-90%.

Store away from foods with strong odors. Apples are porous and will absorb strong food odors.

Do not store apples with vegetables such as leafy greens, broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower. Apples give off a gas that will damage them (even apples have gas).

The gas that apples produce will also speed up the ripening of other fruits such as bananas, kiwis, peaches, pears and plums when stored together.

The top five apple producing countries in the world are:
(based on est 2004/2005 crop data)

   1. China
   2. United States
   3. Poland
   4. Turkey
   5. Italy

The top five apple producing states in the US are:

   1. Washington
   2. New York
   3. Michigan
   4. Pennsylvania
   5. California

The top fifteen apples varieties grown in the U.S. in 2003, accounting for 90% of the total apple production that year.

   1. Red Delicious
   2. Golden Delicious
   3. Gala
   4. Fuji
   5. Granny Smith
   6. McIntosh
   7. Rome
   8. Idared
   9. Jonathan
  10. Empire
  11. York
  12. Cortland
  13. Northern Spy
  14. Rhode Island Greening
  15. Stayman

Other Apple Factoids
Archeologists have found evidence that humans have been enjoying apples since at least 6500 B.C.

The apple tree originated in an area between the Caspin and the Black Sea.

Apples were introduced to New York by the European settlers who brought seeds with them in the 1600s.

The apple is the official state fruit of Rhode Island, New York, Washington, and West Virginia. The apple blossom (Pyrus coronaria) is the official state flower of Arkansas and Michigan.

Apple varieties range in size from a little larger than a cherry to as large as a grapefruit. There are apples that have an aftertaste of pears, citrus, cinnamon, cloves, coconut, strawberries, grapes and even pineapple!

In 2002, the average U.S. consumer ate an estimated 15.8 pounds of fresh-market apples, and 26.4 pounds of processed apples, for a total of 42.2 pounds of fresh apples and processed apple products.

Sixty percent of the 2002 U.S. apple crop was eaten as fresh fruit, while 39 percent was processed into apple products, and 1 percent was not marketed. Of the 39 percent of the crop that was processed, 18 percent was used in juice and cider; 3 percent was dried; 2 percent was frozen; and 12 percent was canned. Other uses include the making of baby food, apple butter or jelly, and vinegar.

Apples have five seed pockets or carpels. Each pocket contains seeds. The number of seeds per carpel is determined by the vigor and health of the plant. Different varieties of apples will have different number of seeds.

Planting an apple seed from a particular apple will not produce a tree of that same variety. The seed is a cross of the tree the fruit was grown on and the variety that was the cross pollinator.

Apples are a member of the rose family.

It takes energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.

Fresh apples float because 25% of their volume is air (thank goodness, or none of us would have ever experienced bobbing for apples!).

Whew!! That was a lot of reading. If that wasn't enough, here's a link to more nutritional information. You should be proud of yourself for learning so much today.