Apple Facts
•The crabapple is the only apple native to North America.
•Apples come in all shades of reds, greens, and yellows.
•Two pounds of apples make one 9-inch pie.
•Apple blossom is the state flower of Michigan.
•2,500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States. (WOW!!)
•7,500 varieties of apples are grown throughout the world. (BIGGER WOW!!)
•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.
•Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesterol free. (AND YUMMY, TOO!!)
•A medium apple is about 80 calories.
•Apples are a great source of the fiber pectin. One apple has five grams of fiber.
•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 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. (How interesting)
•Apples harvested from an average tree can fill 20 boxes that weigh 42 pounds each.
•The largest apple picked weighed three pounds. (How long did it take to eat??)
•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 40 feet high and live over 100 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.
•The largest U. S. apple crop was 277.3 million cartons in 1998.
•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.
•World's top apple producers are China, United States, Turkey, Poland and Italy.
•The Lady or Api apple is one of the oldest varieties in existence.
•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 weight 10.5 pounds.
•A bushel of apples weights about 42 pounds and will yield 20-24 quarts of applesauce.
•Archeologists 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, NY. 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 an 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.
•In 2005, United States consumers ate an average of 46.1 pounds of fresh apples and processed apple products. That's a lot of applesauce!
•Sixty-three percent of the 2005 U.S. apple crop was eaten as fresh fruit.
•In 2005, 36 percent of apples were processed into apple products; 18.6 percent of this is for juice and cider, two percent was dried, 2.5 percent was frozen, 12.2 percent was canned and 0.7 percent was fresh slices. Other uses were the making of baby food, apple butter or jelly and vinegar.
•The top apple producing states are Washington, New York, Michigan,Pennsylvania, California and Virginia.
•In 2006, 58% of apples produced in the United States were produced in Washington, 11% in New York, 8% in Michigan, 5% in Pennsylvania, 4% in California and 2% in Virginia.
•In 2005, there were 7,500 apple growers with orchards covering 379,000 acres.
•In 1998-90 the U.S. per capita fresh apple consumption was around 21 pounds.
•In 2005, the average United States consumer ate an estimated 16.9 pounds of fresh market apples
•Total apple production in the United States in 2005 was 234.9 million cartons valued at $1.9 billion.
•In 2006/2007 the People's Republic of China led the world in commercial apple production with 24,480,000 metric tons followed by the United States with 4,460,544 metric tons.
•In 2006/2007 commercial world production of apples was at 44,119,244 metric tons.
•Almost one out of every four apples harvested in the United States is exported.
•35.7 million bushels of fresh market apples in 2005 were exported. That was 24 percent of the total U.S. fresh-market crop.
•The apple variety ‘Red Delicious' is the most widely grown in the United States with 62 million bushels harvested in 2005.
•Many apples after harvesting and cleaning have commercial grade wax applied. Waxes are made from natural ingredients.
•National Apple Month is the only national, generic apple promotion conducted in the United States. Originally founded in 1904 as National Apple Week, it was expanded in 1996 to a three-month promotional window from September through November.
•On August 21, 2007 the GoldRush apple was designated as the official Illinois’state fruit. GoldRush is a sweet-tart yellow apple with a long shelf life. The apple is also the state fruit of Minnesota, New York, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia.
Source Apple Statistics:
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
United States Apple Association
Mmmmm, October makes my mouth water--hope it makes yours water too, but if doesn't try a few of my favorite recipes and it will then!
CARAMEL APPLE CHEESECAKE BARS
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
Cheesecake Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Apples:
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
( Streusel topping, recipe follows )
1/2 cup caramel topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.
In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy!
Streusel Topping:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. I like to really combine it by using my clean hands to thoroughly combine the butter into the mixture.
Source: adapted from Paula Deen
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