Penny For Your Thoughts
By: Nancy Whitaker
When I think of apples, apple cider, apple pie and apple dumplings come to mind. Who can resist the smell and taste of a fresh baked apple dumpling or the all-American favorite, apple pie?
We always think that the apple was the fruit that Eve used to trick Adam in the Garden of Eden so, we do know that apples have been around for many years. The pilgrims planted the first United States apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In colonial time, apples were called winter banana or melt-in-the-mouth. America’s longest-lived apple tree was reportedly planted in 1647 by Peter Stuyvesant in his Manhattan orchard and was still bearing fruit when a derailed train struck it in 1866. The Lady or Api apple is one of the oldest varieties in existence and Newton Pippin apples were the first apples exported from America in 1768, some were sent to Benjamin Franklin in London.
Apples come in all shades of red, green and yellow. I recently saw in a local store they had a “Grapple” which was a grape and apple crossed. I purchased a couple and they did have a grape flavor. They were also very pricey.
Some folks like to eat apples with the peel and others prefer to peel them, however, it has been said not to peel your apple. Two-thirds of the fiber and lots of antioxidants are found in the peel. Antioxidants help to reduce damage to cells, which can trigger some diseases.There are those pesky worms that like to get inside of an apple and if you are not careful you could accidentally eat one. One thing I was always told was not to eat early green apples or they would cause you to have a stomach ache, or worse. There are also various toppings you can eat on an apple. Some like apples with salt, while others prefer peanut butter or a caramel apple.
Did you know that there are over 2500 kinds of apples in the United States and apples are grown in all 50 states? Also did you know that apple trees can grow to 40 feet high and live to be 100 years old?
I have often sat and watched my grandma and grandpa peel apples and seeing who could peel the longest peeling. The world’s largest apple peel was created by Kathy Wafler Madison on October 16, 1976, in Rochester, NY. It was 172 feet, 4 inches long. (She was 16 years old at the time and grew up to be a sales manager for an apple tree nursery.)
National Apple Month is the only national, generic apple promotion conducted in the United States. Originally founded in 1904 as National Apple Week, it was expanded in 1996 to a three-month promotional window from September through November.
The old saying, “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away.” comes from an old English adage, “To eat an apple before going to bed, will make the doctor beg his bread.”
Years ago I recall that people could use an apple to give out for Trick or Treat. I don’t think they do that anymore because of the various objects people stuck into apples to hurt people.
Also years ago if you wanted to impress your school teacher, you could give them an apple.
Now for some ‘awwwww’ bad jokes about apples:
- What did the worm want to be when he grew up? He wanted to join the Apple Corps (core)
2. Why did Eve want to move to New York? She fell for The Big Apple
3. What do you get when you cross a shellfish with an apple? A Crabapple
Do you like apples? Have you ever bit into a worm in an apple? What is the longest peel you have ever peeled? Do you eat an apple a day? Let me know and I will give you a Penny for your Thoughts.
