Apple Fruit

The apple is the fruit of a tree in the genus Malus and the family Rosaceae. The genus has around 25 varieties.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/30599/apple Apple is the most cultivated fruit in the United States. The pilgrims planted the first United States apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony as the only apple native to the country is the crabapple.http://urbanext.illinois.edu/apples/facts.cfm According to the U.S. Apple Association there are more than 2500 varieties of apples grown in the states and more than 7500 varieties grown in the world.http://www.usapple.org/consumers/appleguide/index.cfm

The fruit originated in Central Asia but has wild relatives in the New World. The apple is one of the most popular and widely grown fruits. It is easy to ship, resistant to disease, and popular for its flavor which can be sweet or tart, depending on the varietal. Roughly 60 million tons of apples are produced each year. They are predominately a fruit of northern or temperate climates. In the USA the two leading producers are Washington State and New York State, but internationally China leads the USA in apple production by a large margin.http://urbanext.illinois.edu/apples/facts.cfm An apple tree lives for an average of 60 years with some living longer.http://environ.binghamton.edu/urban/edible1.html

Apples have a long history in art and literature. They are the fruit most often depicted in the Biblical story of Adam, Eve and the Snake and for that reason are widely associated with lust and temptation.http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/maia/history.htmlLegends tell of a Swiss national hero William Tell who famously shot an apple off his son's head with his crossbow.http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/william-tell.htm Golden apples featured in several Greek myths including the Judgment of Paris, a favorite of Old Master painters.http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/JudgementParis.html

Apples are a fruit which can be used in many manners. From the simple serving suggestion of eating the fruit raw and unpeeled to inclusion in pies, breads, cakes, salads, and ciders, the apple is found in many recipes. A few ways to add apple fruit to the diet include:

As a dessert:

1. Apple Dumplings
2. Apple Pie
3. Apple Betty
4. Apple Strudel

As a breakfast item:

1. Apple Muffins
2. Apple Bread
3. Applesauce
4. Apple butter or jelly or jam

As a salad

1. Fruit salad
2. Waldorf Salad
3. Apple Walnut Salad

As a drink

1. Apple Juice
2. Apple Cider
3. Apple Martini

A number of unofficial food holidays feature the apple fruit. National Apple Month was created in 1904 as National Apple Week but in 1996 the promotion expanded.http://urbanext.illinois.edu/apples/facts.cfm

Other days celebrating the apple as a fruit, or in a prepared form include:http://www.mahalo.com/food-holidays

• National Apple Day celebrated on October 21
• National Apple Gifting Day celebrated on January 1
• National Apple Pie Day celebrated on May 13 and December 3
• National Applesauce Cake Day celebrated on June 6
• National Apple Strudel Day celebrated on June 17
• National Apple Turnover Day celebrated on July 5
• National Apple Betty Day celebrated on October 5
• National Apple Dumpling Day celebrated on September 17
• National Candy Apple Day celebrated on October 31
• National Caramel Apple Day celebrated on October 21

1. China
2. United States
3. Turkey
4. Iran
5. Italy
6. France
7. Poland
8. Russia
9. Germany
10. India

1. Granny Smith Apple
2. Gala Apple
3. Golden Delicious Apple
4. Red Delicious Apple
5. Fuji Apple
6. Braeburn Apple
7. Pinata Apple
8. Empire Apple
9. McIntosh Apple
10. Pink Lady Apple
11. Rome Beauty Apple
12. Pippin Apple
13. Ginger Gold Apple
14. Gravenstein Apple
15. Honeycrisp Apple
16. Jonagold Apple

• Stemilt.com: World Famous Apple Growers