In the Garden: Enjoy the many benefits of apples
October is National Apple Month and an excellent time to find more ways to incorporate this healthy food into your daily diet. This superfood is low in calories, high in fiber, rich in nutrients, promotes heart and oral health, and can aid in weight loss.
Have an apple or other healthy snack before your next trip to the grocery store. Researchers at Cornell University found that people who ate a healthy snack before grocery shopping purchased 25-28% more produce than those who ate a cookie or nothing at all before heading to the store.
You’ll find a variety of apples from tart to sweet and firm to soft to choose from. Purchase favorites or try new-to-you varieties you can find at farmer’s markets, orchards, and retailers this time of the year. Many offer samples and provide recipes and recommendations for the best snacking, baking, and processing varieties. Or buy a collection of apples and conduct your own taste test.
Whole fresh apples provide the greatest benefits. Combine them with peanut butter or cheese for a healthy protein snack. Add sweetness and crunch to salads with apple slices.
Extend your enjoyment with proper storage. Use bruised, cut, or damaged fruit as soon as possible and only store firm blemish-free apples.
Mature apples store best in temperatures between 32 and 39 degrees with 95% humidity. Providing ideal storage conditions is not always possible. Maximize their storage life by placing apples in perforated plastic bags in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. The plastic bag helps increase the humidity around the fruit while allowing air to flow through the holes.
Purchase extra apples for preserving. Make them into sauce or apple pie filling for canning. Peel, chop, cook and dry into fruit leathers for snacking. Make and freeze apple pies for a quick and easy dessert you can simply bake and serve when needed.
Set aside a few apples to have fun converting them into apple heads. This Native American tradition was picked up by the settlers and is now a part of American folk art. All you need are a couple apples, ½ cup lemon juice, two Tablespoons salt, a bowl of water, a pencil, and a knife.
Mix salt and lemon juice in a bowl of water and set aside. Peel the apple and core if you want to place it on a stick or prefer a long droopy face. Draw the outline of the face then carve the features into the apple.
Soak the carved apple in the bowl of salty lemon water for about 10 minutes. Set on a cooling rack or hang the apples in a warm place to dry. Apples are ready when spongy or leathery to the touch.
Add a few details to the apple head by inserting beads for eyes and rice for teeth. Use it as a head for a doll or place it on a stick and add it to your Halloween decorations.
Take advantage of the apple season to find new ways to include apples in your diet. You’ll enjoy a diversity of flavors and the many uses this healthful fruit provides.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” streaming courses and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her website is MelindaMyers.com.
