Many Facts About Apples

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT USDA NUTRITIONAL DATA BASE

The native home of the apple is not definitely known, but the tree probably originated in the area between the Caspian and the Black seas. Charred remains of apples have been found in the prehistoric lake dwellings of Switzerland. Evidence shows that man has been enjoying apples for at least 750,000 years! Apples were a favorite fruit of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

The apple was introduced to America by early settlers, who brought apple seeds with them. Records of the Massachusetts Bay Company indicate that apples were grown in New England as early as 1630. Seeds were carried westward by missionaries, traders, and Native Americans. One man alone, John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed), was responsible for extensive plantings of apple trees in the midwestern United States.

Consumption:

Apples, as eaten in the fresh state, are a healthy refreshing, crunchy snack. They quench your thirst and their acid content makes them a natural mouth freshener. To bite into a fresh picked apple is a memorable experience. The juice is honey sweet and spicy tart at the same time and the flesh is fragrant and crisp.

Nutritional Facts:

· High in fiber

· High in vitamin C and potassium

· Low in Sodium

· Almost fat-free

Detailed nutritional information can be found by searching the USDA Nutritional Database . Enter "Apple" (no quotes) as the keyword and select the link and report of interest.

Scientific classification:

Apple trees belong to the family Rosaceae. They constitute the genus Malus.

How to Store:

The best place to store apples is in the refrigerator! Sliced or cut apples stay white longer if dropped in a bowl of water containing 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

More Facts:

* Apples come in all shades of reds, greens, yellows.

* Two pounds of apples make one 9-inch pie.

* Apple blossom is the state flower of Michigan.

* 2500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States.

* 7500 varieties of apples are grown throughout the world.

* 100 varieties of apples are grown commercially in the United States.

* Apples are grown commercially in 36 states.

* Apples are grown in all 50 states.

* In 2002 United States consumers ate an average of 42.2 pounds of fresh apples and processed apple products. That's a lot of applesauce!

* Sixty-two percent of the 2002 U.S. apple crop was eaten as fresh fruit.

* 39 percent of apples are processed into apple products; 21 percent of this is for juice and cider.

* The top apple producing states are Washington, New York, Michigan, California, Pennsylvania and Virginia, which produced over 83 percent of the nation's 2001-crop apple supply.

* Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesterol free.

* A medium apples is about 80 calories.

* Apples are a great source of the fiber pectin. One apple has five grams of fiber.

* In 2001 there were 8,000 apple growers with orchards covering 430,200 acres.

* The pilgrims planted the first United States apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

* The science of apple growing is called pomology.

* Apple trees take four to five years to produce their first fruit.

* Most apples are still picked by hand in the fall.

* Apple varieties range in size from a little larger than a cherry to as large as a grapefruit.

* Apples are propagated by two methods: grafting or budding.

* The apple variety 'Delicious' is the most widely grown in the United States.

* Europe, France, Italy and Germany are the leading apple producing countries.

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

* Apples were the favorite fruit of ancient Greeks and Romans.

* Apples are a member of the rose family.

* Apples harvested from an average tree can fill 20 boxes that weigh 42 pounds each.

* Americans eat 19.6 pounds or about 65 fresh apples every year.

* 25 percent of an apple's volume is air. That is why they float.

* The largest apple picked weighed three pounds.

* Europeans eat about 46 pounds of apples annually.

* The average size of a United States orchard is 50 acres.

* Many growers use dwarf apple trees.

* Charred apples have been found in prehistoric dwellings in Switzerland.

* Most apple blossoms are pink when they open but gradually fade to white.

* Some apple trees will grow over forty feet high and live over a hundred years.

* Most apples can be grown farther north than most other fruits because they blossom late in spring, minimizing frost damage.

* It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.

* Apples are the second most valuable fruit grown in the United States. Oranges are first.

* In colonial time apples were called winter banana or melt-in-the-mouth.

* United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasted the 2000 apple crop to be at 254.2 million 42 pound cartons.

* Total apple production in 2001 was 229 million cartons valued at $1.5 billion.

* The largest U. S. apple crop was 277.3 million cartons in 1998.

* Newton Pippin apples were the first apples exported from America in 1768, some were sent to Benjamin Franklin in London.

* In 1730 the first apple nursery was opened in Flushing, New York.

* One of George Washington's hobbies was pruning his apple trees.

* America's longest-lived apple tree was reportedly planted in 1647 by Peter Stuyvesant in his Manhattan orchard and was still bearing fruit when a derailed train struck it in 1866.

* Apples ripen six to ten times faster at room temperature than if they were refrigerated.

* A peck of apples weighs 10.5 pounds.

* A bushel of apples weighs about 42 pounds and will yield 20-24 quarts of applesauce.

* Archaeologists have found evidence that humans have been enjoying apples since at least 6500 B.C.

* The world's largest apple peel was created by Kathy Wafler Madison on October 16, 1976, in Rochester, N.Y. It was 172 feet, 4 inches long. (She was 16 years old at the time and grew up to be a sales manager for an apple tree nursery.)

* It takes about 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider.

* Apples account for 50-percent of the world's deciduous fruit tree production

* The old saying, " an apple a day, keeps the doctor away -- this saying comes from am old English adage --" To eat an apple before going to bed, will make the doctor beg his bread."

* Don't peel your apple. Two-thirds of the fiber and lots of antioxidants are found in the peel. Antioxidants help to reduce damage to cells, which can trigger some diseases.

* The five most popular apples in the United States are Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith.

Community on 10/01/2014