Apples

Health benefits

2008-03-27T22:33:00.000-07:00

An old proverb attests to the health benefits of the fruit: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Research suggests that apples may reduce the risk of colon cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer. Like many fruits, apples contain Vitamin C as well as a host of other antioxidant compounds, which may reduce the risk of cancer by preventing DNA damage. The fiber content, while less than in most other fruits, helps regulate bowel movements and may thus reduce the risk of colon cancer. They may also help with heart disease, weight loss and controlling cholesterol, as they do not have any cholesterol, have fibre (which reduces cholesterol by preventing reabsorption), and are bulky for their caloric content like most fruits and vegetables.

There is evidence that in vitro, apples possess phenolic compounds which may be cancer-protective and demonstrate antioxidant activity. The predominant phenolic phytochemicals in apples are quercetin, epicatechin, and procyanidin B2.

The seeds are mildly poisonous, containing a small amount of amygdalin, a cyanogenic glycoside, but a large amount would need to be chewed to have any toxic effect.

Apple Tree ready for Harvest

2008-02-22T22:28:00.000-08:00

Apples as food

2008-02-13T22:33:00.000-08:00

Different cultivars of apples have a distinct different taste, and this can be separated into two separate factors of flavour and texture.

Apples can be canned, juiced, and optionally fermented to produce apple juice, cider, ciderkin, vinegar, and pectin. Distilled apple cider produces the spirits applejack and Calvados. Apple wine can also be made. They make a popular lunchbox fruit as well.

Apples are an important ingredient in many winter desserts, for example apple pie, apple crumble, apple crisp and apple cake. They are often eaten baked or stewed, and they can also be dried and eaten or re-constituted (soaked in water, alcohol or some other liquid) for later use. Puréed apples are generally known as apple sauce. Apples are also made into apple butter and apple jelly. They are also used cooked in meat dishes.

In the UK, a toffee apple is a traditional confection made by coating an apple in hot toffee and allowing it to cool. Similar treats in the US are candy apples (coated in a hard shell of crystallised sugar syrup), and caramel apples, coated with cooled caramel.
Apples are eaten with honey at the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah to symbolize a sweet new year.
Farms with apple orchards may open them to the public, so consumers may themselves pick the apples they will buy.
Sliced apples turn brown with exposure to air due to the conversion of natural phenolic substances into melanin upon exposure to oxygen. Different cultivars differ in their propensity to brown after slicing. Sliced fruit can be treated with acidulated water to prevent this effect.

Apple tree in flower

2008-02-04T22:28:00.000-08:00

Scientific classification

2008-01-26T22:31:00.000-08:00

Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Order: Rosales

Family: Rosaceae

Subfamily: Maloideae

Genus: Malus

Species: M. domestica

Apple

2008-01-15T22:28:00.000-08:00

Apples, with skin (edible parts): Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

2008-01-06T22:30:00.000-08:00

Energy 50 kcal 220 kJ
Carbohydrates 13.81 g
- Sugars 10.39 g
- Dietary fiber 2.4 g
Fat 0.17 g
Protein 0.26 g
Thiamin (Vit. B1) 0.017 mg 1%
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.026 mg 2%
Niacin (Vit. B3) 0.091 mg 1%
Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.061 mg 1%
Vitamin B6 0.041 mg 3%
Folate (Vit. B9) 3 µg 1%
Vitamin C 4.6 mg 8%
Calcium 6 mg 1%
Iron 0.12 mg 1%
Magnesium 5 mg 1%
Phosphorus 11 mg 2%
Potassium 107 mg 2%
Zinc 0.04 mg 0%

A display of different apples

2007-12-29T22:28:00.000-08:00

General Stuff

2007-12-22T22:28:00.000-08:00

The apple is the fruit of the apple tree. It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits. The tree is small and deciduous, reaching 5-12 m tall, with a broad, often densely twiggy crown.
The leaves are alternately arranged simple ovals 5-12 cm long and 3-6 cm broad on a 2-5 cm petiole with an acute tip, serrated margin and a slightly downy underside. Flowers are produced in spring simultaneous with the budding of the leaves.
The flowers are white with a pink tinge that gradually fades, five petaled, 2.5-3.5 cm in diameter. The fruit matures in autumn, and is typically 5-9 cm diameter. The centre of the fruit contains five carpels arranged in a five-point star, each carpel containing one to three seeds.

Apples

2007-12-16T22:26:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Apples - a blog dedicated to everything and anything about Apples!
Enjoy!