It’s time to pick apples
Fall is coming to New England. It usually starts with kids heading back to school (check), then leaves start turning yellow (check again) and the fall crops start to mature. Fall here also means apples. The earlier varieties mature in early September and the harvest rolls into October. We love apples and are lucky to have 2 pick-your own orchards in town and within minutes of our house (Clark Farms at Bushy Hill Orchard and Lost Acres Orchard). Apples are grown in all 50 states and pick-your-own farms are found throughout the country. Find one near you and enjoy this great outdoor activity.
This year pick-your own apples may look different. Wagon rides may or may not be offered. Masks will be required inside farm stores and on wagons providing group transport to the trees. Social distancing will be required. Despite all that apple picking, and later eating, is a great way to ejoy the outdoors, support local farms and enjoy the great nutrition that apples provide.
An apple a day…
Apples are great. You can eat them saw, cooked, baked and dried. They store well in cool dry conditions. They are a great portable snack, full of water and nutritious. How nutritious?
- A medium apple (about 3” in diameter) counts as about 1.5 servings of fruit (out of the recommended 2 servings per day everyone should aim for)
- It has between 80 and 95 calories and 4-5 grams of fiber
- It is full of beneficial micronutrients such as Vitamin C, A, E, B1, B2, B6 and K; minerals such as manganese, copper and potassium and a rich source of polyphenols.
What does that add up to as far as benefits to our bodies?
- Their high fiber and water content makes them filling and satisfying, potentially leading to reduced calorie consumption and weight loss. Polyphenols may also help with weight loss but the mechanism is unknown.
- That same fiber (soluble) and polyphenols are beneficial for your heart health.
- An apple a day could reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes by 28%
- Pectin in apples is a prebiotic and helps promote healthy gut flora.
- Apples are packed with anti-oxidants that help protect many parts of our bodies from oxidative stress including heart, brain and other organs.
The most benefit comes from consuming whole apples (including skin) and eating them fresh (to preserve the many delicate compounds, such as polyphenols and vitamins, that can be destroyed by heat). Visit https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-health-benefits-of-apples#section1 for more details.
Enjoy now and later
Apples make an excellent snack fresh but they can be incorporated into recipes, both sweet and savory, or preserved for later enjoyment. Apples kept in a cool place (think cold storage) will keep for weeks. Keep them away from other fruit and vegetables as the gasses they release will lead to premature spoiling.
Dried apples
You can dry (dehydrate) apples and enjoy them for weeks later as a topping for salads and other dishes or as a great snack. You can dry them until they are crispy like a chip or stop when they still have a little chew to them, it is a matter of preference. All you need to dry apples are low heat and patience. A dehydrator makes the job faster but is not necessary. Growing up we dried apples on top of our radiators. Slice apples, spread on parchment paper, layout on top of radiators and wait for what seems like forever. Usually only about half the apples (or less) survived the process, the rest were eaten by us as they dried. You can do the same, but significantly faster in an oven.
Cooked or frozen apples
You can easily make applesauce for later use in many recipes. Cook chopped apples with some water and lemon juice (optional to prevent excessive browning) until soft. Use a food mill to separate the sauce from the skins. Store in refrigerator or freeze in small containers. You can use applesauce to replace some or all of the oil or butter in many recipes. I also peel, core and slice apples and freeze them for use in recipes. Freezing them preserves more nutrients than cold storage and gives me another option for their use later (like these awesome Apple Streusel Muffins).
Enjoy the variety of apples
Regardless of how you eat apples take the time to enjoy this apple season. Pick some apples at a local orchard instead of buying in store. You may discover a new favorite variety that never makes it to supermarkets but is available from a local farm. There are 7500 varieties or apple in the world, 2500 are grown in the US but only about 100 varieties are grown commercially. Red delicious is the most popular variety and less than 10 varieties are represented at most supermarkets, varying by region. While crabapple is the only variety native to North America, apples have a long history on this continent. Learn more facts about apples by visiting https://web.extension.illinois.edu/apples/facts.cfm.