I have often heard "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"! It turns out there may be some truth to this old wives tale! Take a look at the benefits of apples and also learn about the taste differences and other differences between different kinds!
First you need to know why consuming apples is so awesome! Take a look at this!
BENEFITS OF APPLES
There may be some truth to the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”……many studies have linked consumption of apples with reduced risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and diabetes. They are a member of the Rose family and a rich source of phytochemicals (chemicals in fruits that have fantastic health benefits)! Apples are also full of antioxidants. They have been shown to inhibit cancer cell prolifieration (cancer growth), decrease lipid oxidation (lipid oxidation causes plaque build up in your arteries which can lead to strokes and heart attacks) and lower cholesterol! Phytochemicals vary greatly between varieties of apples providing all sorts of wonderful benefits so feel free to try all different kinds. Processing can greatly affect apple phytochemicals so eat whole-fresh apples with peels! (1).
(1) Boyer J, Liu RH. Apple Phytochemicals and their health benefits. Nutrition Journal. 2004;3:5.
Apples come in hundreds of different varieties and are widely consumed fruit! Here is a little info on different apple varieties!
Comparing Apples to Apples:
adapted from: http://homecooking.about.com/od/fruit/a/applevarieties.htm
• Cortland Apple: All-purpose red apple with crisp, juicy, sweet-tart flesh that resists browning, smooth shiny red skin, a Northwest favorite good for cooking and hand-eating.
• Crabapple: Small, rosy red, hard tart flesh, too sour for hand-eating, makes great jellies, jams and good with pork and poultry, available during the fall months.
• Criterion Apple: Slightly tart, bright red skin with green highlights, good for baking and hand-eating.
• Gala Apple: Brilliant rosy red skin. Firm and crisp, sweet and juicy, the Gala apple is good for pies as well as eating out of hand. Available September through June. In my opinion Gala is always a very solid apple and it is available for most of the year!
• Golden Delicious Apple: Yellow to yellow-green, sweet/bland flavor, juicy and crisp flesh that resists browning, all-purpose but do lose some flavor when cooked, available September through June. Refrigerated storage time: 150 days. My favorite!
• Granny Smith Apple: Crisp, juicy, freckled green skin, sweetly tart flesh, excellent for hand-eating and cooking, grown in New Zealand, Australia, California and Arizona so usually available year-round. Refrigerated storage time: 240 days.
• Gravenstein Apple: Crisp, juice, sweet-tart, green-skin streaked with red, all-purpose for cooking but not whole, available mainly on the U.S. West coast from August to late September.
• Jonathan Apple: Spicy and fragrant, juicy, sweet-tart, all-purpose cooking except for whole, good for hand-eating, available September through February. Refrigerated storage time: 120 days.
• Lady Apple: Tiny, ranging from brilliant red to yellow with red blushing, sweet-tart, good for hand-eating or cooking, available canned, used for garnishes, available fresh during winter months. Expensive but well worth every penny!
• Macoun Apple: Small to medium-sized, wine red in color, crisp, juicy, sweet-tart, all-purpose but best for hand-eating, a U.S. East coast favorite.
• McIntosh Apple: Medium-sized, crisp, tart-sweet, bright red skin sometimes tinged with green, all-purpose but doesn't hold up to lengthy cooking, discovered in the late 1700's by Canadian John McIntosh, available September through March.
• Northern Spy Apple: Large, sweet-tart apple, red skin with yellow streaking, all-purpose, available October through March, also called spy apple.
• Pippin Apple: All-purpose, good for hand-eating and cooking, greenish-yellow skin, juicy, crisp flesh, slightly tart, also called Newton pippin or yellow pippin, available winter through mid-spring.
• Red Delicious Apple: Large, brilliant red, sometimes streaked with green, elongated shape with five distinctive knobs at its base, juicy, sweet, no distinguishable tartness, recommended for hand-eating but not for cooking, available from September through April. Refrigerated storage time: 160 days. Try these in season and I promise you'll love them!
• Rhode Island Greening Apple: Medium-sized, green to yellow in color, sweet-tart flavor which intensifies with cooking, good for hand-eating, mostly sold as a commercial crop for applesauce, pies etc., since both flavor and texture hold up well to heat, available October to April primarily in the eastern and central U.S. The western variant is known as Northwest Greening.
• Rome Beauty Apple: Deep red skin with some yellow speckling, off-white flesh ranging from tender to mealy, mildly tart to sweet and bland, holds its shape well when cooked and as such is good for baked apples or cooked dishes, available November through May. Refrigerated storage time: 220 days.
• Stayman Apple: Striped, dull red color, off-white flesh, juicy, crisp, tart, good for hand-eating and cooking, available from October to April.
• Winesap Apple: Juicy, tart, crisp yellowish flesh with a deep red skin, all-purpose, stores well, available from November through May. Refrigerated storage time: 220 days.
• York Imperial Apple: Medium to large in size, firm flesh, tartly sweet, red with yellowish streaks, off-white flesh, excellent for cooking whole as it keeps its shape, available October through April.
For more info on baking with apples click here:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1402.html
BENEFITS OF APPLES
There may be some truth to the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”……many studies have linked consumption of apples with reduced risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and diabetes. They are a member of the Rose family and a rich source of phytochemicals (chemicals in fruits that have fantastic health benefits)! Apples are also full of antioxidants. They have been shown to inhibit cancer cell prolifieration (cancer growth), decrease lipid oxidation (lipid oxidation causes plaque build up in your arteries which can lead to strokes and heart attacks) and lower cholesterol! Phytochemicals vary greatly between varieties of apples providing all sorts of wonderful benefits so feel free to try all different kinds. Processing can greatly affect apple phytochemicals so eat whole-fresh apples with peels! (1).
(1) Boyer J, Liu RH. Apple Phytochemicals and their health benefits. Nutrition Journal. 2004;3:5.
Apples come in hundreds of different varieties and are widely consumed fruit! Here is a little info on different apple varieties!
Comparing Apples to Apples:
adapted from: http://homecooking.about.com/od/fruit/a/applevarieties.htm
• Cortland Apple: All-purpose red apple with crisp, juicy, sweet-tart flesh that resists browning, smooth shiny red skin, a Northwest favorite good for cooking and hand-eating.
• Crabapple: Small, rosy red, hard tart flesh, too sour for hand-eating, makes great jellies, jams and good with pork and poultry, available during the fall months.
• Criterion Apple: Slightly tart, bright red skin with green highlights, good for baking and hand-eating.
• Gala Apple: Brilliant rosy red skin. Firm and crisp, sweet and juicy, the Gala apple is good for pies as well as eating out of hand. Available September through June. In my opinion Gala is always a very solid apple and it is available for most of the year!
• Golden Delicious Apple: Yellow to yellow-green, sweet/bland flavor, juicy and crisp flesh that resists browning, all-purpose but do lose some flavor when cooked, available September through June. Refrigerated storage time: 150 days. My favorite!
• Granny Smith Apple: Crisp, juicy, freckled green skin, sweetly tart flesh, excellent for hand-eating and cooking, grown in New Zealand, Australia, California and Arizona so usually available year-round. Refrigerated storage time: 240 days.
• Gravenstein Apple: Crisp, juice, sweet-tart, green-skin streaked with red, all-purpose for cooking but not whole, available mainly on the U.S. West coast from August to late September.
• Jonathan Apple: Spicy and fragrant, juicy, sweet-tart, all-purpose cooking except for whole, good for hand-eating, available September through February. Refrigerated storage time: 120 days.
• Lady Apple: Tiny, ranging from brilliant red to yellow with red blushing, sweet-tart, good for hand-eating or cooking, available canned, used for garnishes, available fresh during winter months. Expensive but well worth every penny!
• Macoun Apple: Small to medium-sized, wine red in color, crisp, juicy, sweet-tart, all-purpose but best for hand-eating, a U.S. East coast favorite.
• McIntosh Apple: Medium-sized, crisp, tart-sweet, bright red skin sometimes tinged with green, all-purpose but doesn't hold up to lengthy cooking, discovered in the late 1700's by Canadian John McIntosh, available September through March.
• Northern Spy Apple: Large, sweet-tart apple, red skin with yellow streaking, all-purpose, available October through March, also called spy apple.
• Pippin Apple: All-purpose, good for hand-eating and cooking, greenish-yellow skin, juicy, crisp flesh, slightly tart, also called Newton pippin or yellow pippin, available winter through mid-spring.
• Red Delicious Apple: Large, brilliant red, sometimes streaked with green, elongated shape with five distinctive knobs at its base, juicy, sweet, no distinguishable tartness, recommended for hand-eating but not for cooking, available from September through April. Refrigerated storage time: 160 days. Try these in season and I promise you'll love them!
• Rhode Island Greening Apple: Medium-sized, green to yellow in color, sweet-tart flavor which intensifies with cooking, good for hand-eating, mostly sold as a commercial crop for applesauce, pies etc., since both flavor and texture hold up well to heat, available October to April primarily in the eastern and central U.S. The western variant is known as Northwest Greening.
• Rome Beauty Apple: Deep red skin with some yellow speckling, off-white flesh ranging from tender to mealy, mildly tart to sweet and bland, holds its shape well when cooked and as such is good for baked apples or cooked dishes, available November through May. Refrigerated storage time: 220 days.
• Stayman Apple: Striped, dull red color, off-white flesh, juicy, crisp, tart, good for hand-eating and cooking, available from October to April.
• Winesap Apple: Juicy, tart, crisp yellowish flesh with a deep red skin, all-purpose, stores well, available from November through May. Refrigerated storage time: 220 days.
• York Imperial Apple: Medium to large in size, firm flesh, tartly sweet, red with yellowish streaks, off-white flesh, excellent for cooking whole as it keeps its shape, available October through April.
For more info on baking with apples click here:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1402.html