Celebrate the Holidays with Apples

You’ve heard that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away and while that may or may not be true, apples are definitely an American favorite.  So much so that we celebrate the apple throughout the year. .”  In Arizona we have access to delicious apples all year round.

Here are some little known apple holidays.  December 1^st is designated as National Pie Day and Eat a Red Apple Day, December 2nd is National Fritter (we are thinking Apple Fritter) Day, and December 3rd is National Apple Pie Day.

Apples are in season in Arizona from July to September but farmers are able to keep us supplied with these delicious treats long after the season has ended.   The holidays bring our favorite apple cider, apple pie, chocolated covered apples, and many other apple desserts.   We also like to decorate our holiday trees and tables in luscious Red Delicious apples.

Here are some fun apple facts.  Did you know that?

• The average person eats 65 apples a year?
• The largest apple ever picked weighed more than three pounds
• Apples float because 25% of their volume is air
• One medium apple contains only 80 calories
• China produces more apples than any other country
• There are more than 7,500 varieties of apples in the world with about 2,500 of those varieties being grown in the U.S.
• Red Delicious apples are the most popular with Golden Delicious coming in a close second
• The only apple native to North America is the crab apple
• More than half of the apple crop in the United States is turned into applesauce and apple juice
• The more apples a person eats, the lower his or her risk of developing lung cancer
• Apple juice was one of the earliest prescribed antidepressants
• Johnny Appleseed was actually John Chapman, an American pioneer born in 1774 who planted apple seeds in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio
• Apple cider vinegar While long used as a folk remedy, became well known in the U.S. in the late 1950s, when it was promoted in the best-selling book Folk Medicine: A Vermont Doctor’s Guide to Good Health by D. C. Jarvis.
• Fresh apple cider is raw apple juice that has not undergone a filtration process to remove coarse particles of pulp or sediment.  It is typically sold during the fall and during holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
• Hard apple cider was the most common fruit beverage in the U.S. up to the mid 19th century. Without refrigeration, fresh juice was very perishable, so apple juice was allowed to ferment to a low alcohol content, usually around 5 percent alcohol. Next to water, this cider was the cheapest and most widely available beverage year-round.

Here’s a delicious Apple-Raspberry pie recipe you could cook up to celebrate National Apple Pie Day in style.   Go to FillYourPlate to discover Arizona Apple Farmers and to look up more delicious apple recipes.

Apple-Raspberry Pie

• Pastry for 2-crust pie
• 4 lg. apples (Gala, Golden Delicious or Granny smith)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out half of the pastry and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Spread raspberry jam over bottom of the pie crust. Thaw and drain raspberries. Pour juice into a small saucepan, stir in cornstarch and  a ¼ cup sugar. Bring mixture to a boil over low heat; stir in the drained raspberries; cool. Combine flour and 1/3 cup sugar.

Peel, core and slice apples into thin slices. Toss apples in flour/sugar mixture; pour into pie crust. Spoon raspberry mixture over apples. Roll out remaining pastry and place over the filling; trim and crimp edges. Cut slits in top crust for venting. Beat egg white and water with a fork until frothy; brush over top crust. Sprinkle sugar evenly over top of pie.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 30-40 minutes until crust is golden and juices bubble. Let pie set at least 1 hour before serving.

Provided by: Apple Annie’s Orchard