Apples For You Table

From the time the first woman said “honey, take a bite of this” the love of apples was born. The apple is another one of those very versatile foods that can go from breakfast to dessert. It comes in its own wrapper and does not need to be refrigerated.

It’s long been said that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. I am not sure about that, but I am willing to try.

We are blessed with many varieties of apples. At last count 7,500 varieties are grown worldwide, but only 2,500 grow in the U.S. A mere 100 varieties are grown commercially. Apples are grown in 36 states, but only six are major producers of orchard or table apples: Washington, New York, Michigan, California, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Apples are divided into two categories, those for cooking and those for eating raw. They are pretty much interchangeable. Cooking apples just hold up better to being cooked or used in certain dishes. Apples recommended for cooking include the Cortland a tart crisp, Granny Smith, Rome Beauty and Jonagold, a tangy-sweet apple with a yellow top and red bottom. The most common apples for eating raw are Delicious, Empire, Jonathan, McIntosh and Winesap. I recently enjoyed a Jazz apple that was wonderful. These are a little harder to find so look in some of the specialty grocery stores.

Start with breakfast. Think about apple pancakes, apple muffins and, best of all, apple strudel. Of course, there is also apple juice. I have recently discovered apple syrup. What a way to start the day!

For lunch we find apples in everything from salads to mixed fruit cups to a few slices on the side. Or, as a stand-alone entrée in our lunch box.

At dinner or supper (depending on which part of the country you come from), you find apples again as a side dish or cooked with meat. They especially go well with pork or poultry. Dessert is where apples get to shine the most. Apple pie is probably the most famous of all apple dishes. We dress it up from time to time with ice cream, cheese (my mother’s favorite, a holdover from her childhood in West Virginia) or with a caramel topping. But most of all we love apple pie warm from the oven.

Fall is the time of the year when apples are at their best. I had the privilege of driving through upstate New York one year during apples season and you could smell apples in the air. The roadside stands were everywhere. It was a real treat to see apples on the tree. I have heard about some apple production in Texas, but I don’t know of a single person who owns a producing tree.

Apples give us Vitamin A and C, Calcium and Iron and, of course that all important fiber everyone talks about. You don’t have to peel, just wash it before eating. When buying apples, examine each one for bruises and bad spots. Remember you can choose the very best available for your family if you will only take the time. When you get home, wash them and put them in a bowl for a nice touch-of-fall arrangement until ready to use. Add a few nuts for an added accent.

A great way to enjoy apples as a snack is just sliced on a small tray with a few pieces of sharp cheese and a glass of wine if you choose. There are no rules for red or white wine, just select the freshest apples to add to your tray. Mix red and green apples for color appeal.

There are lots of recipes for apple pie out there. I am going to give you one favorite go-to desserts. This is a quickie, mostly homemade one. Buy a frozen crust (I never thought I would say that), use a can of your favorite pie apples and season to your personal taste. Pour into the unbaked crust and cover with the following topping. I call this the Half Cup Crust. Blend together 1/2 C brown sugar, 1/2 C oats, 1/2 C soften butter, 1/2 C chopped pecans (optional), and 2 tsp. Cinnamon. Mix together with your fingers and sprinkle evenly over pie. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes until brown and bubbly.

Apple Notes: Apples float because 25percent of their volume is air. Delicious apples are the mostly widely grown variety grown in the United States. Sir Isaac Newton was said to have recognized the law of gravity after an apple fell from a tree he was sitting under and hit him on his head.

If you have cooking or household tips you would like to share, I can be reached at PatsChat@livingston.net