Crunchy, crisp, sweet, juicy, tart—newly harvested autumn apples emit a complex burst of flavour with every delicious bite! The Latin word fruor meaning “to delight in” is the source of our modern term fruit. Apples play a significant role in the myths, rituals, and religions of many times and places, and are often used to symbolize fruit in general. They became associated with the Judeo-Christian Garden of Eden story when Renaissance painters adopted the use of apples in Greek mythology in their portrayals of Adam and Eve.

Apples are a member of the rose family, and are thereby related to many other deciduous tree fruits. They are believed to have originated in Western Asia. Alexander the Great is known to have found apples growing in Kazakhstan in 328 BCE from whence he brought them back with him to Macedonia. This may have been the origin of their spread throughout Europe and then to the wider world.

Original varieties were small, hard, and bitter, but like most common food plants, they have been selectively bred for size, flavour, sweetness, texture, uniform shape, yield, storage and transport capability, and disease resistance. North America, for instance, had only native sour crab apples, but original European settlers soon brought in European varieties to cultivate. The first known North American apple orchard was planted in Boston in 1625.

John Chapman, popularly known as Johnny Appleseed, was a legendary figure from the American frontier of the early 1800s who made it his life mission to travel the New England countryside, spreading his particular version of the Christian gospel as well as apples trees and other medicinal plants. Apples at that time, especially those planted from seed, were still quite sour, and were mostly used to produce cider, a mildly alcoholic beverage that was safer, tastier, and easier to produce than the ubiquitous corn liquor of the time. “We stopped drinking apples and started eating them in the early 1900s. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union publicized the evils of alcohol, the movement towards Prohibition was gaining momentum, and the apple industry saw the need to re-position the apple. ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ was an old adage, dating from the late 1800s, that was updated into an advertising slogan, promoted by apple growers fearful that prohibition would cut sales.” (The Straight Dope)

Apples are thought to be one of the earliest, as well as one of most prolific trees to be cultivated. Breeding over many centuries has produced over 7,500 known varieties, with some 100 or so varieties being grown commercially in North America. Breeding has adapted them to a wide variance in climates too, including sub-tropical (where they may yield fruit twice per year) as well as high-altitude regions. Some unusual, unique, traditional varieties are today having to fight for continued existence, since commercial varieties command most of the resources.

Apples are not usually propagated from seed plantings. Trees grown from seed produce fruit with different characteristics from the parent plant, usually sour or bitter like more ancient varieties. Therefore, in order to promote desirable traits, grafting or budding must be used, horticultural techniques that allow parts of multiple plants to be joined, thus allowing more control over cloning the qualities of the trees from which they are taken. According to Michael Pollan, “Every time an apple failed to germinate or thrive in American soil, every time an American winter killed a tree or a freeze in May nipped its buds, an evolutionary vote was cast, and the apples that survived this great winnowing became ever so slightly more American. A somewhat different kind of vote was then cast by the discriminating orchardist. Whenever a tree somehow distinguished itself for the hardiness of its constitution, the redness of its skin, the excellence of its flavour—it would promptly be named, grafted, publicized, and multiplied.” The adaptation of the apple to America was thus the result of a “simultaneous process of natural and cultural selection.”

China is the world leader in volume of apple production, with the USA second, which is where we get a large portion of the apples we consume. Tastes vary around the world; for instance, Europeans and North Americans generally favour sub-acid fruits, while Asians and East Indians prefer very sweet apples with very little acid content. McIntosh apples are descendants of a single tree that was discovered in 1811 by John McIntosh on his farm near Dundas, Ontario.

Another popular apple, especially for cooking, the Granny Smith, originated in Australia and was introduced to the American market in 1868. Legend has it that these crisp green treasures were cultivated by an Australian grandmother by the name of Maria Ann Smith. She found the tree growing by a creek on her farm, developing from the remains of some French crabapples. After her death, the apples continued to be cultivated by local orchardists.

In 2010, an Italian-led consortium announced they had decoded the complete genome of an apple (Golden delicious variety). It had about 57,000 genes, the highest number of any plant genome studied to date and more genes than the human genome (about 30,000).

Apples are listed as one of the most important crops to buy organically due to their thin skin which increases their ability to absorb pesticides. Apples can be stored in a cool dry place, or in a refrigerated space throughout the winter months. Fruit ripened later in the season keeps best as it is hardier. Make sure there are no bruised fruits in the batch for storage, because the saying “one bad apple spoils the barrel” has its basis in actual fact due to the increased amounts of ethylene gas released by the damaged fruit. This gas causes faster ripening and spoilage of all the fruit around it. One popular suggestion is to wrap individual apples in quarter sections of newspaper pages for the safest storage.

Many health benefits accompany the pleasure of eating apples. Most of the high concentration of polyphenols is found in the apple’s skin, so it is good practice to leave the skin on if possible, even when baking or cooking with apples. These substances are powerful antioxidants. Apples are also related to anti-cancer, anti-asthma, cardiovascular, and a host of other benefits.

Apples are used in a variety of beverages. They are milled to produce apple cider (non-alcoholic sweet cider) and filtered for apple juice. The juice can be fermented to make cider (alcoholic hard cider), ciderkin, and vinegar. Through distillation, various alcoholic beverages can be produced, such as applejack, Calvados, and apfelwein.

Although commonly eaten raw, apples are also cooked and pureed to produce applesauce and apple butter spread, or cooked or baked into a multitude of dessert dishes.

RECIPES

Raw Muesli

Soak oatmeal in equal volume of apple juice overnight. (A cloudy apple juice with sediment has more of the nutrition in it than a clear juice.) In the morning add some grated raw apple, yogurt, berries or other seasonal fruit, and a sprinkling of nuts, seeds, or wheat germ. Sweeten with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, if desired. Makes a great summer or fall breakfast, when apples and other fruits are at their peak.

Apple Onion Saute

Add some thickly cut apple wedges to partially sauteed sliced onions. A tart firm apple, such as Granny Smith works well, as it doesn’t tend to get mushy too quickly. Continue to saute until apple wedges are just slightly softened. Add some honey-sweetened mustard to season. This goes really well with pork chops or roast pork. Another favourite combination is to serve it with leftover chicken or turkey, accompanied by wild rice.

Favourite Apple Crisp

Combine in large baking pan:
8 tart apples, sliced
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup apple juice
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine in a mixing bowl and spread over apple mixture:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 tsp unrefined salt
1/2 cup oatmeal (regular or quick oats are both fine)
1/2 cup whole grain flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup chopped nuts or raw sunflower seeds

Bake at 350ºF about 1/2 hour or until top is lightly browned and apples are soft and juicy.

Other creative ways to enjoy apples:
(1) Try adding some thinly sliced apple along with cinnamon to your favourite pancake or muffin recipe.
(2) Add sliced apple to your favourite coleslaw or spinach salad. A sprinkling of toasted sunflower seeds is a nice complement to the tart sweetness of the apple in a salad.
(3) Create a fun snack for kids by slicing an apple into thin wedges and spreading each slice with cream cheese or nut butter spread.
Provide sprinkles such as raisins, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds and allow them to decorate their individual snacks.

Sources:
Robert Price, Johnny Appleseed: Man and Myth, 1967
Michael Pollan, “The Botany of Desire,” 2001
straightdope.com
whfoods.org

Sandra Brandt has had a lifelong interest in whole natural foods. She lives in Regina, where she gives cooking classes, presentations, and dietary consultations. She can be reached via email: brandt.s@sasktel.net. Also see the colour display ad on page 13 of the 17.3 September/October issue of the WHOLifE Journal.