An Apple A Day

Why do you eat an apple? I suspect it’s the color that draws us in, and the crispness and flavor (of a good one!) that keep us coming back. And it’s a good thing because their flavor and color are just the beginning of the benefits of eating an apple. Not only are apples one of the world's most popular fruits, they are naturally high in polyphenols, vitamins C and E, and beta carotene. They also function as antioxidants--have cancer-fighting flavonoids--making them a good addition to baked goods, desserts, entrees, and side dishes. They are ranked among the top for fiber content, since they contain a very significant amount of soluble fiber, pectin, which helps to lower cholesterol.

So apples are nutritious, but it goes even further than that—they are convenient and always available. In the Fall is when the new crop arrives, and then and through the winter is when you may find you enjoy your apples the most, although good ones can be found all year as distributors keep the quality fairly high through proper cool storage, and imports from other countries with growing seasons opposite of ours.

Apple Facts

A little known fact is that the science of apple growing is called pomology. Following are more interesting facts about apples. It’s good to note that eating a whole apple is more nutritious than drinking apple juice since the fiber, vitamins and minerals may be processed out when producing juice. Eating apples raw (including the skin) is better than cooked, although something is better than nothing!

A few Apple Facts from the University of Illinois Extension include:

• Americans eat 19.6 pounds or about 65 fresh apples a year.
• 25% of an apples’ volume is air and that's why they float.
• Apples are fat, sodium and cholesterol free. A great source of fiber pectin, one apple has 5 grams of fiber.
• 2,500 varieties of apples are grown in the US: 7,500 in the world!

How many varieties do you find in your supermarket?

More Common Apples

Good for you and just plain good, here are some apple varieties that may very well be found in your local supermarket. With thousands of varieties—you never know what you may find, but there are certainly more common varieties.

• Golden Delicious Apple: sweet crisp flavor and is the preferred all purpose cooking apple since it retains its shape and flavor when cooked. One advantage—the skin is tender and thin and often doesn't require peeling before using in most recipes. Mid/late season.
• Fuji Apple: crisp sweetness and firm flesh make it an excellent fresh eating apple. They can be used in baking or applesauce and fuji’s store well, and in fact their flavor improves in storage. Fuji skin color varies from yellow-green with red highlights to very red. It is a cross between Red Delicious and Ralls Genet. Late Season.
• Gala Apple: one of the best for fresh eating. It has distinctive yellow-orange skin with red striping. Great in salads, good for baking and very good in applesauce too. Early mid-season.
• Braeburn Apple: high impact flavor that blends sweet and tart: crisp and aromatic. Good in baking and applesauce. Color varies from greenish-gold with red sections to nearly solid red.
• Granny Smith Apple: crisp mouth-watering tartness--bright green with a pink blush. Its tartness really comes through when baked and sautéed, which is what these are generally used for. Late season.
• Gravenstein Apple: red and yellow streaked over greenish yellow skin: creamy yellow flesh is very juicy, crisp, and aromatic. Gravenstein has a reputation as a very good cooking apple, although it produces lots of juice when cooked. Early season.
• Jonagold Apple: blend of Jonathan and Golden Delicious: tangy-sweet flavor with firm flesh. Excellent for eating fresh and for cooking. Late season.

Other Varieties of Apples

Apples--why not try some new varieties out on your family this Fall? In North America apple season is mid-August through November.

• Jonathan Apple: A medium sized apple with thin, bright red-blushed skin--crisp, juicy, yellowish white flesh. It is aromatic and its appley flavor is one of the best in the crisp American class. Mid season.
• McIntosh Apple: A large, bright red apple. Crisp, juicy, snowy white flesh and good flavor for eating fresh. Late mid season.
• Pink lady Apple: distinctive pinkish fruit. It matures several weeks after Granny Smith--it can mature by the end of October in east Washington.
• Pippin Apple: crisp, hard flesh, almost dry, and very sweet. Aromatic, and rich flavor. Mid season.
• Red Delicious Apple: Well adapted to temperate areas. Tough skinned, juicy, rather coarse texture--widely available in supermarkets. Most eat them fresh. What you get in the store is about the same as ripe off the tree (which isn’t the case with most varieties, where ripe off the tree is much preferred)
• Rome Beauty Apple: red over yellow color, large cooking apple. Usually considered a mediocre fresh eating fruit. Late maturing.
• Winesap Apple: considered to have an old-fashioned flavor--spicy almost wine-like flavor. Cider maker's first choice. Violet red in color, it's good for eating fresh and in salads. Late season.
• Crispin (or mutsu) Apple: sweet, firm and crisp. It is good for sauce, pies and fresh eating. Rome is the baker's buddy. Its mild flavor grows richer when baked or sautéed. Rome has smooth, blazingly red skin with sweet, slightly juicy flesh. Late season.