For all their goodness, apples have figured in some deeply rooted and nefarious stories, from Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to the poisoned apple in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. All those dark associations were dispelled for me when I grew my own apples in Pennsylvania: varieties like Northern Spy, Rhode Island Greening, Smokehouse, and Cox’s Orange Pippin. My home-grown apples were the fruits of my soil, my sunshine, my rain, and my work—totally benign and absolutely delicious.
THE ORGANIC FACTOR
Organic growers tend to focus on great taste, but they also tend to pick varieties that are resistant to apple scab and other diseases so they don’t need fungicidal sprays. All apples are prone to attack by serious apple pests such as apple fruit fly and codling moth, but instead of coating the orchard with insecticides, organic producers use natural methods of protecting the fruit: Tanglefoot, a proprietary tar-like goo smeared on paper round the trunk of trees to catch insects; tillage under the trees to disrupt the life cycle of insects; and red balls coated with stickum to lure and capture apple fruit flies. They’ll also plant “cover crops” in the orchard—crops that attract and host beneficial insects, which then attack the apple pests.
A five-year study by Washington State Univer-sity reported in Nature compared organic and conventional apple production systems. It found that both systems had comparable yields, but the organic system “had higher soil quality and potentially lower negative environmental impact than the conventional system” and that “the organic system produced sweeter and less tart apples, higher profitability, and greater energy efficiency.”
NUTRITION
Apples—especially their pec-tin—promote bowel health and regularity, help to lower bad cholesterol, decrease risk of stroke and heart attack, and promote the excretion of toxic substances from the bloodstream. The optimum amount of apple consumption? The old saying about “an apple a day” isn’t wrong.
Click here to find out more about the best apples.
TYPES
I’ve seen figures that there are anywhere from 1,400 to 7,000 named apple varieties being sold. Yet only a handful are found in our major marketplaces. Just try finding a good variety of apple in a supermarket. You’ll find a lot of tasteless Red Delicious, maybe some pretty good Galas and Fujis, and if you’re lucky, some really good Braeburns.
The best chance we have of finding wonderfully delicious apple varieties is at farmers’ markets and roadside stands, and especially from organic growers. Apples are grown in just about every state (and many countries around the world—they originated in the steppes of Central Asia), so buy local organic apples whenever you can, especially if you live in New England, where the very best apples come from. You’re not only getting the best flavor but you’re supporting local farmers and a whole ecology that thrives on an organic farm.
SEASONALITY
The earliest apples of the new season start arriving in early August, but the main crops occur in the fall, even into early December.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Apples should look plump and shiny, or at least not dull. They should be firm when pressed on the shoulder by the stem, without any “give.” They certainly should show no bruises, cuts, or blackened patches of apple scab. Check the blossom ends for black frass—the excrement of codling moths and apple maggots. The blossoms ends should be blemish-free.
STORAGE
Apples keep very well in the fruit crisper of the fridge, but don’t store kale with them. The ethylene gas that escapes from the apples quickly turns kale yellow. Apples that are harvested late in the season—in October and November—are the best keepers, and they will often last the winter in a cold fridge.
USES
Apples are excellent for eating just as they are, but the cooking varieties are superb as sauce, charming as chutney, and, of course, perfect in pies, crisps, betties, and other kinds of pastries. Diced apple makes a nice addition to morning dry or cooked cereals. You can puree peeled apple slices and make fruit leather from them.
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