An Apple a Day

Food, Nature 2 Minutes

Crisp, sweet, and delicious, bushels of apples are a true symbol that autumn has arrived. Whether you stroll through the apple orchard and pick some yourself, or scoop a few pecks up from the store, Americans just can’t get enough. By volume, we eat more apples than any other fruit. But for all the love we show to apples, how much do you actually know about our favorite fall fruit?

Archaeologists have found evidence that people have been eating apples since 6,500B.C.

The science of growing apples is called pomology.

There are more than 7,500 apple varieties in the world — about 2,500 varieties grown in the United States. About 100 of those are sold commercially. Apples are the second-most valuable fruit grown in the U.S. (oranges being the first).

Apples are grown in all 50 states, but they’re only grown commercially in 36 states. The top producing states are Washington, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, and Virginia.

Top producing counties in the world are China, United States, Turkey, Poland, and Italy.

Most apples in the world are still picked by hand.

 Americans eat more apples per capita than any other fruit. According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average American eats about 16 pounds of fresh apples and 28 pounds of processed apples like juice, cider, or sauce, for a total of about 44 pounds per person per year.

 Apples are available in grocery stores all year long thanks to the global market, but the Northern Hemisphere typically considers as early as July and as late as November apple season. September and October are peak months.

If you’ve ever wondered why apples float it’s because they’re 25 percent air, giving us the ability to bob for apples in a barrel of water.

The common autumn party game bobbing for apples started as a Celtic New Year’s tradition for trying to determine one’s potential future mate.

Apples ripen up to 10 times faster at room temperature than if they are refrigerated.

Apple trees take at least four to five years to start producing fruit. Some take as many as 10 years.

The top ten varieties produced in the United States are Gala, Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Mcintosh, Rome, Cripps Pink, and Empire.

An average tree produces 840 pounds of fruit.

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

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

Apples are a member of the rose family of plants, which also includes pears, peaches, cherries, and plums.

When John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, blasted off on his initial space flight, he carried with him pureed applesauce in squeezable tubes.

According to Guinness World Records, the largest apple peel was created by Kathy Wafler Madison in Rochester, N.Y. on October 16, 1976. The prize-winning peel was 172 feet 4 inches long.

The first American apple orchard was planted around 1625 by William Blackstone on Boston’s Beacon Hill.

Apple juice was one of the earliest prescribed antidepressants.

 Only sour apple trees were native to America before the European settlers brought with them their favorites.

The pale, lime green Lady apple is one of the oldest varieties of apple still available today. It was originally documented in early Rome (approximately 700 B.C.). It was first referenced as the ‘Lady apple’ in 1628 during the French Renaissance.

An apple has about 80 calories. They are fat-free, sodium-free, and cholesterol-free and also are an excellent source of fiber.

After nearly a decade with Red Delicious as the apple darling of the United States, Gala apples are now the nation’s favorite.

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Published by pat frederick

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80 thoughts on “An Apple a Day”

  10. EXCERPT: “Both Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), two rising stars in the Republican Party, have been making the rounds campaigning for Republican presidential candidates ahead of the midterm elections. However, the two governors have taken very different approaches to their campaigning.

    While DeSantis has shown support for some of the party’s more contentious candidates, including those that are sponsored by former President Donald Trump, Youngkin has chosen to support more moderate Republicans who are running in tough contests in states that are blue. The different approaches provide a sneak preview into how the two may once more split in a strategic plan come 2024 when both governors are seen as potential contenders to initiate a presidential bid. Both governors are seen as possible contenders to launch a presidential bid.

    Since the beginning of this year, DeSantis has been on the campaign trail for seven Republican candidates, six of whom have received endorsements from President Trump in elections for the Senate and for governorships. J.D. Vance, a contender for the Republican Senate nomination in Ohio, and Blake Masters, a candidate for the same position in Arizona, are two examples.

    According to the public statements that were made by DeSantis spokesperson Lindsey Curnutte to Axios, the governor is backing candidates who are compatible with the freedom agenda that they have built in the state of Florida.

    In the meantime, Youngkin is supporting ten different Republican candidates for governor, with eight of those candidates running in states that were won by President Joe Biden in the last election. Only three candidates have received Trump’s support thus far.”

    https://trendingpolitics.com/glenn-youngkin-and-desantis-distinct-approach-to-the-midterms-is-a-sign-of-how-2024-election-bid-will-be-olarm/

    Liked by 2 people

  13. I was playing with my camera again…update on Little Man….Little Man is no longer allowed free rein to my patio once I saw that he had invited his Mom (?) in this morning after I once again filled his food dish! All I saw was the flash of a big dark cat with a black tail – I think it’s the almost black calico that I speculated as being the Mom of the kitten I found a few years ago…..

    No, thank you – my patio is NOT going to become the gathering place for all the stray cats in the neighborhood! So, no more open pet door, food and water are on the outside ledge of the patio. Jake is sooooo relieved!!!!

    LM literally FREAKED when I tried to put a flea collar on him – no powder to be found at WM – but I did get one working dose of wormer into him. So much for those drops I bought for the mites in his ears! Still too wild at this point….and he may just have to stay that way!!!!

    It is going to be REALLY red, thankfully!!!!

    Close-up:

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Beautiful Filly! Is that a clematis ?

        As for Little Man … you have made a wise decision …

        Feral cats can be a problem as they multiply … I speak from experience, and what an experience!

        I bet Jake is a happy camper …

        Liked by 2 people

        1. The older lady who used to live catty-corner from me always fed them. When she moved out, they kind of scattered and only a couple stuck around the neighborhood. I expect Mama is one of them. Yes, it is a dark red Clematis – been looking for one for 5 years!!!!

          Liked by 2 people

  16. Liked by 1 person

  19. dang…I knew i missed something!!!!
    TRUTH
    Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
    It’s impossible to explain how great the people last night were in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The level of love they have for our Country is both unbelievable and highly impressive—it is more than anyone would ever know. If the Radical Left Lunatics that work so hard to destroy our Country could just get a little bit of the love, energy, enthusiasm, spirit, and patriotism that we witnessed last night, our Country would go to the top of every list like a rocket ship….….Thank you to everyone who attended the Rally last night. It was a two-hour speech, and the only disappointment was that they were screaming, “Please, please, go longer.” They love our Country, and I love them!

    Liked by 1 person

  29. this guy was SUPPOSED to be serving 24 years for a different kidnapping crime. IF he was, he wouldn’t have been out to commit THIS crime…
    FTA
    He refuses to tell police where they can find Mrs. Fletcher.

    If only the family would be given a few minutes of unsupervised, off-the-book, time with the suspect…

    The horrific crime has captured the attention of the entire world — but especially here in Memphis – a city that has been controlled by progressive Democrats for a generation. We live in a war zone where people are murdered and shot and robbed and carjacked on a daily basis.

    The crime rate in Memphis surpasses some of the largest cities in our nation.

    This is a city where police are simply not provided the resources they need to do their jobs. The department is suffering a manpower shortage that numbers in the hundreds.

    But what’s especially heart-wrenching is that this crime was completely avoidable.

    In 2001 Abston was arrested and charged with kidnapping a local attorney during a violent carjacking. The attorney, who survived, was stuffed in the trunk of the car.

    Abston was sentenced to 24 years in prison.

    So why didn’t he serve out the full term of his sentence? It was a violent, heinous crime. Why was he allowed to walk out of jail and back onto the streets of Memphis?

    The ABC television affiliate in Memphis reached out to the Department of Corrections. They said Abston served his sentence, but he also received credits for the time he was in jail and for completing programs.

    It doesn’t matter. If you do the crime, you do the time. The problem is that violent criminals are being treated as victims.

    That’s why Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton embrace legislation to fix that problem.

    It’s called “Truth in Sentencing” and it mandates that criminals serve 100 percent of their sentences for 31 differnet violent offenses.

    “Real Truth in Sentencing means no early release from prison,” he wrote in 2021. “We need to protect victims, not violent criminals.”

    Don’t do the crime, if you can’t handle the time, he said.

    Republican Gov. Bill Lee bewildered conservatives when he refused to sign the bill, opting instead for it to become law without his signature.

    “You can protect criminals, or you can protect victims,” Sexton said in response to the governor’s political capitulation. “I stand with victims, as do members of law enforcement, our district attorneys and criminal judges across Tennessee.”

    If only Speaker Sexton’s legislation had been on the books sooner, Abston would still be in jail and Mrs. Fletcher would be attending services at Second Presbyterian Church with her husband and two young sons.

    The truth is that there are far too many soft-on-crime politicians from both political parties. They coddle the criminals and treat the victims as if they are to blame.

    The way I see it – any lawmaker or bureaucrat who played a part in letting Abston out of prison should be facing charges, too.

    To make matters worse, Memphis voters just booted a tough-on-crime Republican district attorney out of office. Steve Mulroy, the new district attorney, is a George Soros-styled prosecutor.

    He may be less concerned about justice for the Fletcher family and more concerned about whether Abston will be able to afford to post bail.

    Let’s pray that Mrs. Fletcher is found alive.

    https://www.toddstarnes.com/crime/predator-who-kidnapped-memphis-mom-was-supposed-to-be-in-prison-serving-time-for-another-kidnapping/

    Liked by 1 person

  31. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Like

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