Apples: Savor fall’s favorite fruit

A variety of apples are available to consumers.
A variety of apples are available to consumers.

What do Eve, Johnny Chapman, William Tell, pie, and America have in common?

Answer: apples.

Pink Lady apples
Pink Lady apples

Tradition has it that it was an apple that the serpent used to woo Eve, who in turn convinced Adam that it was delicious.

Perhaps we can thank Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, for planting numerous apple trees throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Illinois.

It’s a good thing 14th century marksman Tell was an expert. Otherwise, he might have killed his son as he shot an arrow into the apple on the boy’s head.

Granny Smith apples
Granny Smith apples

And on the subject of pies and America, well, what’s more American than apple pie?

The list of apple varieties is long: granny smith, gala, pink lady, jonathan, paula red, rome, red and golden delicious, fuji, honey crisp — and that’s only a few of the plentiful choices. Their tastes range from sweet to sour, and their textures go from crispy to smooth to just plain hard. You can throw some in your lunch bag and they’ll still be good to eat after rolling around in there for a week, while others may easily bruise. Use them to make applesauce, applebutter, apple pie, fried apples, candied apples, dried apples, or just eat them out of hand.

They’re good and word has it that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, which means they’re good for you, too.
