This past weekend, my sister, BIL and niece came up for our annual sojourn to Eplegaarden, a local “selv-pluk” apple orchard. In addition to a good-sized orchard, they also have fields of pumpkins, strawberries and raspberries, wagon rides, and a variety of apple products sold inside the store. Here are thirteen facts about apples, along with a few photos from the day.
1. Alexander the Greek is credited with finding dwarfed apples in Asia Minor in 300 BCE.
2. There are more than 7,500 varieties of apples—2,500 in the US alone. Some of the most popular varieties include McIntosh, Jonathon, Cortland, Gala, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith.
3. Around 55 million tons of apples were grown worldwide in 2005, with an estimated value of $10 billion. China is the top producer, followed by the United States, Iran, Turkey, Russia, Italy and India.
4. In the US, around 60% of all apples sold commercially are grown in Washington state. The top five states after that are New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California and Viginia. Many farms and orchards allow visitors to pick their own fruit.
5. The largest exporters of apples in 2006 were China, Chile, Italy, France, and the US. The biggest importers were Russia, Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands.
6. Winter apples, picked in late autumn and stored just above freezing, have been an important food in Asia and Europe for millennia, as well as the US and Argentina since the arrival of Europeans. Until the 20th century, apples were stored in frost-proof cellars during the winter for personal use or late winter sales. Apples kept at room temperature ripen 6 to 10 times faster than those that are refrigerated.
7. Apples were first brought to North America with colonists in the 17th century. The first apple orchard is said to have been near Boston in 1625. Apples are a member of the rose family.
8. Apple seeds are mildly poisonous, especially to birds, though not dangerous to humans.
9. According to Guinness World Records, the heaviest apple known weighed in at four pounds one ounce, and was grown in Hirosaki, Japan in 2005.
10. Oral allergy syndrome is an allergic reaction some people experience due to the birch pollen left on some apples. Because the pollen is the main irritant, only raw apples cause the allergic reaction. Cooking neutralizes proteins in the pollen, rendering them harmless to those who are sensitive. This reaction is also common in peaches and hazelnuts.
11. The proverb “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” dates back to 19th century Wales. Research suggests apples may reduce the risk of certain cancers, including colon, prostrate and lung. They may also help with heart disease, cholesterol, and weight loss.
12. Apples are prominent in both Greek and Norse mythology. Popular Greek myths include the stories of Atalanta, whose suitor won her hand by distracting her in a race with three golden apples, and Eris, who was so displeased with being excluded from the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, she threw a golden apple into the wedding party inscribed, “For the most beautiful one,” which eventually caused the Trojan War. In Norse mythology, the goddess Idunn’s apples gave the gods eternal life.
13. Though not identified, the apple is often believed to be the fruit that brought about Adam and Eve’s downfall in the Garden of Eden. Popular belief credits this thinking to the fact that many Renaissance painters added elements of Greek mythology into biblical scenes. Also, the Latin words for “apple” and “evil” are similar in singular forms (malus—apple, malum—evil) and the same, mala, in the plural.
I leave you with this quote accredited to Plato:
I throw the apple at you, and if you are willing to love me, take it and share your girlhood with me; but if your thoughts are what I pray they are not, even then take it, and consider how short-lived is beauty.
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Elise Logan * Darla M Sands * Adelle Laudan
Alice Audrey * Kimberly Menozzi * Paige Tyler
Janice Seagraves * Maddy Barone
Shelley Munro * KS Manning * Jeanne St James
More Thursday Thirteen participants
1. Alexander the Greek is credited with finding dwarfed apples in Asia Minor in 300 BCE.
2. There are more than 7,500 varieties of apples—2,500 in the US alone. Some of the most popular varieties include McIntosh, Jonathon, Cortland, Gala, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith.
3. Around 55 million tons of apples were grown worldwide in 2005, with an estimated value of $10 billion. China is the top producer, followed by the United States, Iran, Turkey, Russia, Italy and India.
4. In the US, around 60% of all apples sold commercially are grown in Washington state. The top five states after that are New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California and Viginia. Many farms and orchards allow visitors to pick their own fruit.
5. The largest exporters of apples in 2006 were China, Chile, Italy, France, and the US. The biggest importers were Russia, Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands.
6. Winter apples, picked in late autumn and stored just above freezing, have been an important food in Asia and Europe for millennia, as well as the US and Argentina since the arrival of Europeans. Until the 20th century, apples were stored in frost-proof cellars during the winter for personal use or late winter sales. Apples kept at room temperature ripen 6 to 10 times faster than those that are refrigerated.
7. Apples were first brought to North America with colonists in the 17th century. The first apple orchard is said to have been near Boston in 1625. Apples are a member of the rose family.
8. Apple seeds are mildly poisonous, especially to birds, though not dangerous to humans.
9. According to Guinness World Records, the heaviest apple known weighed in at four pounds one ounce, and was grown in Hirosaki, Japan in 2005.
10. Oral allergy syndrome is an allergic reaction some people experience due to the birch pollen left on some apples. Because the pollen is the main irritant, only raw apples cause the allergic reaction. Cooking neutralizes proteins in the pollen, rendering them harmless to those who are sensitive. This reaction is also common in peaches and hazelnuts.
11. The proverb “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” dates back to 19th century Wales. Research suggests apples may reduce the risk of certain cancers, including colon, prostrate and lung. They may also help with heart disease, cholesterol, and weight loss.
12. Apples are prominent in both Greek and Norse mythology. Popular Greek myths include the stories of Atalanta, whose suitor won her hand by distracting her in a race with three golden apples, and Eris, who was so displeased with being excluded from the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, she threw a golden apple into the wedding party inscribed, “For the most beautiful one,” which eventually caused the Trojan War. In Norse mythology, the goddess Idunn’s apples gave the gods eternal life.
13. Though not identified, the apple is often believed to be the fruit that brought about Adam and Eve’s downfall in the Garden of Eden. Popular belief credits this thinking to the fact that many Renaissance painters added elements of Greek mythology into biblical scenes. Also, the Latin words for “apple” and “evil” are similar in singular forms (malus—apple, malum—evil) and the same, mala, in the plural.
I leave you with this quote accredited to Plato:
I throw the apple at you, and if you are willing to love me, take it and share your girlhood with me; but if your thoughts are what I pray they are not, even then take it, and consider how short-lived is beauty.
Elise Logan * Darla M Sands * Adelle Laudan
Alice Audrey * Kimberly Menozzi * Paige Tyler
Janice Seagraves * Maddy Barone
Shelley Munro * KS Manning * Jeanne St James
More Thursday Thirteen participants
