September is known for a lot of things, with “back-to-school” generally getting most of the attention, but it’s also a great harvest month for a lot of tasty produce. The first harvest we’ll be talking about is apples.
A super brief history: Apples originated in Central Asia, were cultivated for thousands of years in Europe and Asia and were brought to the Americas by European colonists. Today, there are more than 7,500 cultivars of the fleshy fruit. They are eaten raw (called dessert apples), used in cooking and pressed for cider production. Worldwide, production of apples is nearing 90 million tons. (The top producers are China, the U.S. and Turkey.) And, while tasty, apples contain low amounts of micronutrients, which actually makes them a nutritionally poor food (according to the FDA).
But that’s okay – we love apples anyway! Different cultivars grow in different climates (mostly in places that cool to cold winters, as apple trees need a “resting” period,). The most popular apples should be soft but crisp. A colorful skin is always appealing, as are flavor and shape.
Last year, HGTV listed the “Most Popular Apple Varieties in America,” and – no big surprise here – Gala came in at number one. The tart Granny Smith is listed at number three; the Jonagold, which was developed at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, is number seven.
Like a lot of other fruits and vegetables, though, more and more heirloom cultivars (which have been around for a long time and were generally developed in a particular place for a particular purpose) are making a comeback. Planting or eating these varieties helps ensure a more diverse landscape and diet, respectively, and it gives you a little hipster credibility. “Oh, you’ve never had Blue Pearmain? You’re missing out.”
(Blue Pearmain was grown in the U.S. in the early 19th century, and they have soft skin with a very sweet taste and scent. Black Diamond Farm and Cider in the Finger Lakes grows them!)
Now is the time of year to go visit a local apple orchard to go apple-picking with the family, but if you’re interested in growing your own, autumn is also a good time to plant. Just make sure you have a way to protect your sapling from the extremes of a cold winter. You can find more planting tips from The Old Farmer’s Almanac here.
And finally … that old saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” has been traced to 19th-century Wales – the original phrase was “Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.” The phrase evolved to “an apple a day, no doctor to pay” and “an apple a day sends the doctor away.” The phrasing we now use was first recorded in 1922 (per food researcher Michael Pollan). While there’s no evidence that eating an apple every day has any significant health effects, it can’t hurt, right? Especially with all the fiber in the skin!
