Fall Means Apple Time

by: Annette M. Hall
Updated September 21, 2006

Checking out the apples at Covers Apple Ranch

It's harvest time and there is nothing sweeter than tasting a fresh apple on a cool crisp fall day. Why not expand your apple horizons this year? Apples are kid friendly, something you can feel good about your child eating.

Kids and apples go hand-in-hand, sort of like peanut butter and jelly. Which reminds me, peanut butter makes a terrific topping for apple slices, the combination tastes great and don't tell the kids but it's good for them too. Why not visit your local apple orchard, this is a perfect time of year to round up the younguns and take them on an outting to the local apple farm, most are serving fresh apple cider and donuts during the fall months.

I have provided fun links for the kids, a list of the characteristics on a few of the hundreds different types of apples, this list is by no means exhaustive but for the inquisitive mind, we've provided plenty of additional links to whet your appetite for knowledge. You will also find some neat ideas to get the kids excited about eating apples and perhaps, spark your creative culinary skills.

Apple Treats

Everyone knows that apple pie is an all American favorite and that ice cream over a warm piece of pie is like heaven on earth but when is the last time you topped your apple pie with a slice of melted cheese? Give it a try for a delicious variation to an old favorite.

Kids just love finger food, so for a simple lunch why not make your own snackables? These are my sons absolute favorite. I give him three or four carrot sticks, a couple of slices of ham or turkey rolled up or cut into a square, four or five apple slices, four or five of his favorite crackers with cheese slices or string cheese. You can even serve his snack plate with cottage cheese or yogurt for a nice change. There is no limit to the variations and since it's finger food, the kids are sure to love them. The nice part for you is, it's easy to prepare, heathy for your child, easy to clean up and the cost is right.

Fondue for Kids

Apple Fun and Games

You can make any event memorable for the kids by adding a special touch, with apples of course. Dig that fondue set out of the back of the cupboard and put it to use. Depending on the occasion, you can melt chocolate, cheese or even peanut butter in your fondue set. Slice up plenty of apples, bananas, oranges and any other fruit your children enjoy eating. In separate dishes provide marshmallows, sprinkles, shredded coconut, chopped nuts - don't be afraid to be creative. Then stand back and let the kids enjoy their own creations, dunking their fruit in the sauce, then coating it with nuts, coconut or sprinkles.

The same thing can be done with these various fondue sauces with meats and various vegetables. Just be sure to make it fun and include at least one item the kids have never tried before. You just might be surprised at their reaction. This was something we did once a year at our house and it was always a very special event. For an added touch get out the fancy glasses and provide some sparkling cider, the kids will feel like you threw them a fancy dinner party in their honor, sure to create fond memories for your son or daughter to look back on for years to come.

Apple Facts

See what the apple experts have to say about our American favorite. Visit these websites for more facinating apple facts, apple history and trivia:

U.S. Apple Bits - Adam's apple: This physiological terminology sprung from the conception that the protuberance on a man's throat was caused by a piece of forbidden apple from the Garden of Eden's Tree of Knowledge lodged in Adam's throat, rather than the thyroid cartilage of the larynx. [See Also]
Fowler Farms - Fresh apples float because 25 percent of their volume is air.
Cornell University - Red Delicious and McIntosh are two most popular varieties of apples grown in the USA.
Zarpentine Farms - An apple packs more cancer fighting antioxidant capability than a 1,500 milligram megadose of vitamin C.
Apple History and Facts - Apples originated in the Middle East more than 4000 years ago; fruit and vines have been grown in the UK since the Roman occupation, with specially cultivated apple varieties spreading across Europe to France, arriving in England at around the time of the Norman conquest in 1066.
Best Apple Core Facts - Harvest of Washington apples begins in mid-August and generally ends in early November. The 2002 state apple crop destined for the fresh market is estimated at 85.8 million boxes.
Apples Trivia Quiz for Kids - Take the quiz and test your knowledge of Washington apples!
Apples & More - Apple blossom is the state flower of Michigan.
Tree-mendus Apple Photos - See photo galleries of apples grown by Tree-Mendus Apple orchards.
NY Apple Country Teacher Kit^® - This free kit includes a complete set of integrated classroom activities that encompass art, language, Health & Nutrition, science, social studies and math. Lesson plans and ready-to-photocopy worksheets are included. [Grades K-6]

Brennie Raking the Fall Leaves [Click for enlarged view]

Apple Varieties

Apples are the most widely cultivated of fruit trees around the world. Europeans worked to improve apple varieties more than 2,000 years ago. The largest producers now are the United States, China, France, Italy and Turkey with a world crop of 32 million tons a year. One half of the U.S. crop is eaten fresh, one-fifth is made into vinegar, juice, jelly and apple butter and one-sixth is canned for pies and applesauce.

Apple growers across the country have provided the following descriptions.

Arkansas Black is well named with a deep red, almost black skin. It is rock hard, sweet and tart and a long storage apple. This apple is renown for its long shelf life. It's good for making sauce and baking.
Braeburn has high impact flavor. The crisp, aromatic Braeburn blends sweetness and tartness just right for snacks and salads. It's also good in baking, applesauce and for freezing. Braeburn color varies from greenish-gold with red sections to nearly solid red. Braeburn was discovered as a chance seedling near Nelson, New Zealand in 1952. Its probable parents are Lady Hamilton and Granny Smith.
Criterion apples should be firm with smooth and clean skin. The Criterion has the distinctive shape of a Red Delicious, but has a bold yellow color, often with a red blush. Test the firmness of the apple by holding it in the palm of your hand. (Do not push with your thumb). It should feel solid and heavy, not soft and light.
Elstar is a firm apple with a reputation for its intense, sweet, tangy flavor, which is especially good for making applesauce. They are a distinctive apple for snacking, in salads and fruit trays. They tend to retain their effervescent flavor and hold up well during cooking.

Apple Recipes

Fortune The Fortune apple is sprightly with a slightly spicy flavor. It is a cross between a Red Spy and Empire apple. Excellent for pies and sauces also for fresh eating.
Fuji's spicy, crisp sweetness and firm flesh make it an excellent fresh eating apple. It's also good in baking or applesauce and stores well. Fuji flavor improves in storage like fine wine. Fuji skin color varies from yellow-green with red highlights to very red. It was bred from a cross between Red Delicious and Ralls Janet varieties in Japan.
Gala is one of my absolute favorites for fresh eating. It is heart-shaped with distinctive yellow-orange skin with red striping. Gala is just the right size for snacking and is great in salads, good for baking and very good in applesauce.
Ginger Gold Sweet, tangy and juicy, Ginger Gold apples are an early apple, harvested in August and available until September. This is a crisp and juicy apple with excellent taste. The Ginger gold apples are round with a smooth green-yellow skin that has a slight red blush. Ginger Gold apples were discovered in a Virginia orchard in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Golden Delicious has firm, white flesh and sweet crisp flavor. It is the preferred "all purpose" cooking apple since it retains its shape and rich, mellow flavor when baked or cooked. Its skin is so tender and thin that it doesn't require peeling for most recipes. Golden Delicious is very good in fresh salads and freezes well. Great as a snack or a lunchbox treat.
Granny Smith has crisp mouth-watering tartness. Bright green Granny Smith has a pink blush. Its tartness really comes through when baked and sautéed.
Gravenstein is a terrific sauce and pie apple. It is a roundish, irregularly shaped apple with a very short stem. The color varies, but is usually a greenish yellow background covered with broad red stripes. The Gravenstein is crisp, juicy, aromatic and full of old-fashioned tart-sweet flavor.
Jonagold is a blend of Jonathan and Golden Delicious apples, offering a unique tangy-sweet flavor with firm flesh. Jonagold is excellent both for eating fresh and for cooking. Jonagolds make great fried apples. Simply sauté in a little butter and add a little cinnamon. No sugar needed!

Heirloom Varieties

Jonathan apples are generally small to medium in size and dark to bright red. Their flesh is yellowish-white, occasionally with red veins and they are crisp, tender, juicy, aromatic and moderately tart. Jonathan apples are another all-purpose apple for cooking, baking or fresh eating.
McIntosh is a very popular variety that is shiny red in color and has a juicy, sweet, and slightly tart flavor, and is used as a snack or in salads and desserts. The peak time of year for its availability is from early fall to late winter.
Mutsu, also called Crispin, is sweet, firm and crisp. It is good for sauce, pies and fresh eating. The mutsu is a Japanese apple and can be substituted in recipes with the Granny Smith variety if Mutsu are not available in your area.
Red Rome apples are referred to as the "baker's buddy," this apple was discovered as a chance seedling in the early 1800s on a farm near Rome Township, Ohio. Famed for its storage qualities, this mildly tart apple is primarily used for cooking and is especially good baked or sautéed. The Rome apple is typically available beginning in September.
Winesap is the apple with old-fashioned flavor. Winesap has a spicy almost wine-like flavor that makes it the cider maker's first choice. Violet red in color, it's great as a snack and in salads.