Adam's Apple (Apples)

Member Name: MALU

Product:	Apples
Date:	20/01/08 (237 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: tasty, healthy, cheap

Disadvantages: none

Did Eve give Adam an apple in paradise? The bible doesn't mention one, only the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In the 5th century AD people began to become interested in the kind of fruit she gave him, considering the flora and geographical conditions of Asia Minor where the Garden of Eden was supposed to be they thought it could have been a fig, a grape or a citron, monks in Northern Italy, however, were convinced that the fruit was an apple. The reason for this may have been a wordplay, the Latin word 'malus' means 'apple' and 'evil' and the saying was coined "ex malo malum" - evil comes from the apple.

Convincing as it sounds apples don't grow in Asia Minor, not even evil ones, it's too warm there. Botanists assume that apple trees originated in the area between the Caspian and the Black Sea, they grow best in temperate countries with a cool climate and plenty of rain during the winter. Central Europe and North America are the main regions for the production of apples, but they're now also grown in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South America - in the months when we've got winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

Internationally, apples are the most widely cultivated tree fruit, several hundred varieties for eating, cooking and cider making are grown; charred remains of apples found in prehistoric dwellings prove that humankind has been eating apples for at least 750,000 years and they are deeply embedded in our folklore, remember Snow White? Let's have a look at what makes this fruit so outstanding and what one can do besides just biting into it.

Many people are content with just biting into a fresh apple provided it doesn't come from an orchard where pesticides are used, it's a crunchy, refreshing and healthy snack. Depending on the kind of apple you've got the taste varies between honey sweet and spicy tart. They're high in fibre, vitamin C and potassium, low in sodium and almost fat free. The ancients who coined the phrase 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away' only observed what good eating apples did, thanks to modern scientific methods we now know precisely what good it does.

I've learnt from my research on the net that the soluble and the insoluble fibres can decrease the cholesterol level, reduce the risk of hardening of the arteries, heart disease and stroke, they help to keep blood sugar levels stable. They are cancer-protective since they relieve constipation and send potentially toxic substances out with the stools, they help to prevent menopausal bone loss, are associated with increased lung function and weight loss. The good news: the more apples you eat, the more they protect your health.

I buy my apples at the local open air fruit and vegetable market which is held twice a week, I live in a part of Germany which is famous for its many fruit trees, some time ago a village exhibited all kinds of apples growing in their area which were more than 60! I always buy from a farmer who doesn't use pesticides (the orchards are checked regularly), so the apples don't have to be peeled.

The farmers offer their apples also in winter. How do they keep them so fresh and crunchy? The big apple production companies in South Tyrol, Italy, for example, from where German supermarkets get most of their apples, do it with controlled atmosphere storage, which means that the oxygen level is decreased and additional nitrogen is introduced into the refrigerated storage, this way apples can be stored from one season to the next and hold their quality. The small scale farmers here just store them in a cool cellar. At home one should keep them in the fridge, I don't do that, I don't enjoy biting into a cold apple. I just buy the amount we eat in a week and then go and get fresh ones.

Every now and then I also buy some torrefied apple rings, plain or covered with chocolate, yummy. We buy apple juice made of local apples in a supermarket , from my research on the subject I've learnt that I should drink only the cloudy and not the clear variety as it contains more valuable stuff, I'll think of this the next time I go shopping. Cider is also made in our region, but I'm not a great fan of this drink, too acid for my liking.

We have several apple trees in our garden, they're very old and very high, the house is more than 100 years old, the trees don't look much younger, not even with a ladder can we reach the apples, so we have to wait until they fall down. I make apple puree from the windfall (or wormfall!). I cut the apples into chunks and boil them in only so much water that they don't stick to the bottom of the pot until they're soft which they are after some minutes, then I press them through a special sieve. You can also use a mixer, of course. I add some sugar and cinnamon, it's meant to be eaten cold but has mostly disappeared before it has become so.

MALU's apple cake:

100g butter or margarine
80g sugar
2 eggs
200g flour
3 spoons of milk
a pinch of salt

Mix with a handmixer and put the dough in a cake pan.
Then peel some apples, three may be enough, cut them into thin slices and lay them in rings round the cake pan starting at the outside, if you like, strew some raisins or pieces of almond kernel over the apples, then bake at middle heat for about 35-40 minutes. Good with whipped cream!

Friedrich Schiller, a German poet, playwright, philosopher and historian (1759 - 1805) had rotten apples in the drawer of his desk, the smell inspired him. I haven't tried this out, why don't you?, maybe it's a way to turn you into a literary genius.

I look forward to the spring season, how nice are apple trees in full bloom! The genus Malus belongs to the family Rosaceae, i.e., roses. Don't be too surprised, think of rose hips, don't they look like little apples?

Malu is going to stop now, she's having another Malus.

Summary: Learn why apples are good for you!