Tis the Season of Apples

Well, apples are in season, and there are many more variations that apples can be used for in cooking. Creativity and versatility abound in the wonderful, healthy fruit we know as the apple. For instance, my sister recently said she put a whole apple in the microwave for about 3 minutes and it sort of made it soft and warm-lake applesauce in the apple. 

Apple Facts:

• Fresh apples are best eaten sliced. My husband's dentist told him that it is a shock to the teeth to bite into an fresh apple, and it is hard on the teeth. Probably should slice those caramel apples too, many a tooth has been lost in one.

• Apple seeds contain a chemical we know as cyanide. The seeds are harmless if eaten without breaking, but the gasses can be released if the seed is bitten into. A few seeds won't hurt, but cyanide is will cause illness or death if taken in large amounts, so eating seeds is probably not in the best interest of most consumers.

• Two thirds of and apple's fiber and antioxidants are found in the peel. So peeled apples have 1/4 of the nutrients of an apple with a peel.

This past week I made some yummy apple pies. I am still perfecting pie crusts, but the filling was superb. I learned on a cooking show that it is a good idea to use various kinds of apples to a fair amount of sweet and tart to the filling. Also, not to overload the spices and let the apples be the main flavor. In fact, a lot of experts suggest not using any spices at all, but simply adding a little sugar. 

Uses of Apples

Apple Pie

Apple Crisp

Apple Dumplings

Apple Turnovers

Apple Cake

Apple Bread

Applesauce

Apple butter

Apple Jelly

Baked Apples

Apple Salad

Apple Chicken Salad

Apple uses courtesy of Ohio State University

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1402.html

Apples for Specific Use

Apples are a favorite fruit of many people for eating out of hand or in fresh salads. The fruit of many apple varieties are also excellent for making a wide variety of cooked products. Apples best suited to particular uses are indicated below.

Fresh

• McIntosh
• Cortland
• Jonathan
• Red Delicious
• Golden Delicious
• Stayman Winesap
• Melrose
• Franklin
• Prima

Applesauce

• Golden Delicious
• Melrose
• Yellow Transparent
• McIntosh
• Cortland
• Jonathan
• Grimes Golden
• Stayman Winesap
• Rome Beauty
• Lodi

Pies

• Cortland
• Jonathan
• Grimes Golden
• Melrose
• Rome Beauty
• Yellow Transparent
• McIntosh
• Golden Delicious
• Stayman Winesap
• Lodi

Baking

• Jonathan
• Golden Delicious
• Stayman Winesap
• Rome Beauty
• McIntosh
• Cortland
• Grimes Golden
• Melrose
• Stayman Winesap

Freezing for Slicing

• Jonathan
• Golden Delicious
• Stayman Winesap
• Red Delicious
• Grimes Golden
• McIntosh

Freezing for Sauce

• Yellow Transparent
• Wealthy
• Cortland
• McIntosh

Freezing for Baking

• Baldwin
• Northern Spy

Cider

The best cider is usually made from a blend of different varieties of apples. Varieties are grouped into four groups according to their suitability as cider material.

Sweet Subacid*

• Rome Beauty
• Delicious
• Grimes Golden
• Cortland

Astringent (Crab apples)

• Florence Hibernal
• Red Siberian
• Transcendent
• Martha

Aromatic

• Red Delicious
• Golden Delicious
• McIntosh

Mildly Acid to Slightly Tart

• Stayman Winesap
• Jonathan

General Use

• Jonathan
• Golden Delicious
• Stayman Winesap
• Melrose

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1402.html