Harvest Time Orchards
36116 128th St
Twin Lakes WI 53181
262-877-4831 |
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 Apple Facts
Can
anything compete with the taste and texture
of a fresh apple? This perennially appealing
fruit is a source of dietary fiber and essential
vitamins and minerals. A medium apple contains
no fat and only 80 calories! Apples are also
thought to help reduce the risk of heart
disease, cancer, stroke, type 2 diabetes
and asthma.
Enjoy the Harvest Year-round:
Tips and Tricks for Preserving Apples
September is arguably the
best time of the year. It's that time in
which we normally say goodbye to sweltering
heat and begin to enjoy warm days and cooler
evenings, watch the leaves turn golden hues
and take a bite of our first crisp, juicy
and delicious apple of the season and dream
of more to come! By October, we've been apple
picking — whether it happens at the
local orchard, the grocery store or farm
market doesn't matter — we have indulged
in the season, so excited about the colors
and varieties that we've brought home pounds
of ripe, juicy apples.
- About 2,500 known
varieties of apples are grown in the
United States. More than 7,500 are grown
worldwide. Here at Harvest TIme
Orchards, we grow 11 different varieties
of apple PLUS 2 different kinds of cherries!
- Nearly 100 varieties
of apples are grown commercially in the
United States, but a total of 15 popular
varieties account for over 90% of
production: (Varieties that we typically
carry are in RED)
| 1. Red Delicious |
6. McIntosh |
11. York |
| 2. Golden Delicious |
7. Rome |
12. Cortland |
| 3. Gala |
8. Idared |
13. Northern Spy |
| 4. Fuji |
9. Jonathan |
14. Rhode Island Greening |
| 5. Granny Smith |
10. Empire |
15. Stayman |
- Up-and-coming "new" varieties
include:
| 1.
Braeburn |
3.
Ginger Gold |
5. Pink Lady |
| 2.
Cameo |
4.
Honey Crisp |
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What are the best ways
to preserve the bounty of apples? Here are
a few of our tips and tricks for selecting,
storing and preparing this versatile fruit.
Selection and Preparation
- Select apples that are
firm to the touch, have a good aroma and
are free of skin breaks and bruises.
- Handle them gently to
prevent bruising.
- Store in refrigerator
as soon as possible to slow ripening and
maintain flavor; chilled properly, apples
can keep anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks.
- Apples ripen six to ten
times faster at room temperature than if
they were refrigerated. For optimal storage,
apples should be kept at 35-40 degrees with
relative humidity of 80-90%.
- Store apples away from
strong-smelling foods, to prevent them from
absorbing unpleasant odors.
- Wash each apple under
cool running water and dry with a clean paper
towel.
- Slip slices and dices
into a mixture of one part lemon juice to
three parts water, or 100% apple juice with
added vitamin C, to slow browning. Eat within
2 hours or refrigerate immediately until
use.
One pound sliced equals about
2 3/4 cups; diced, about 3 cups. As a rule,
2 large, 3 medium or 4 small equal 1 pound. |
Other Apple Factoids
- Apples are grown in every state in the continental United States, and are grown commercially in 36 states.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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.
- A bushel of apples weights about
approximately 42 pounds.
- 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!).
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