Forget “tablets” and the new iPhone 4 “changing everything. Again.” We still think the best kind of apple is the eating kind and at least these ones DO grow on trees. Read on for all the fascinating facts, a how-to guide on home drying, and eight apple recipes, including cosy, baked, stuffed apples, and the original walforf salad!
In season?
August and September: Early varieties such as Discovery and Redsleeves.
September through to the end of December: Late varieties like the Egremont.
October through to the end of March: “Storers” like Cox (and Bramley – the cooking apple).
Buy?
Best to go for organic apples, or else to peel them, as apples are one of the most heavily sprayed crops.
Also, if you are environmentally minded, look out for buying apples out of season, as they are often shipped from as far away as New Zealand. When choosing your apples, do try your local farmers’ market or even better, have a fun day out at an orchard. Don’t be afraid of blemishes or more dull, less shiny skins – and try sniffing apples when you’re shopping – really! An absence of fragrance is a good sign that your apple will lack flavour, however bright, shiny and blemish-less it is…
Store?
Better to store them somewhere cool and dark than in the fridge, to avoid them losing flavour and becoming “powdery”. Early season (ie now) apples, like the Discovery, will only last a week. Some later season apples can be kept for months if individually wrapped in newspaper and kept somewhere cool and dark
Freeze?
No, but they can be dried in slices in the oven.
How to Dry Apples
Peel and core them, cut out any bad parts, then chunk, slice or ring them. Soak the slices in water with lemon or lime juice in, for 5 – 10 minutes. Then spread them evenly in a single layer in the bottom of an ovenproof glass dish. Then place in an oven no warmer than 150*C. The drying is done when they are dry but still “pliable”. If they are crisp, they’ve been in too long and you’ve made apple crisps! Which would be no bad thing… Now you can store them in an airtight container for up to a year.
Alternatively, if you’re going to do a lot of drying, you might want to invest in a dehydrator, which is likely to be more energy efficient.
Cook?
Absolutely! Whilst apples are a great snack, they are also great raw in salads or juices, or cooked in sauces and, of course, baked in crumbles and pies!
About Apples
Some would say that the humble apple has played a critical role for mankind throughout history… Think Adam and Eve, or Sir Isaac Newton!
They are full of fibre and Vitamin C, are low in calories, make an absolutely delicious and easy snack, and are even thought to help us eliminate problems, such as joint pain, caused by the build up of unwanted waste in the system, which they can help to eliminate.
And there are so many different types of apple to try, just in the UK alone. Some of them are sweet, some a little more “tart”, some crisp and green, some red and fluffy … and around the world there are more than 7,000 varieties.
All belong in the Rosaceae family, which includes roses, strawberries and apricots, to name a few.
Little Known Apple Facts
Apples absorb other odors, so keep them away from garlic and onions!
You need two apple trees close together to ensure pollination.
The first colonists to Northern America took apple seeds with them.
Avoid ingesting apple pips. Not because you’ll get apple trees growing out of your belly button, like my Mum used to say (!), but because they contain a substance that, when it breaks down, turns into hydrogen cyanide. We think you’d have to eat a lot to actually get ill, but still, it doesn’t seem like a great idea…
Apple Recipes:
Denise Tolson’s Smoked Haddock and Early Apples
Grilled Apple and Cheese Sandwich
And do have a go at saucing your apples – it’s so easy! Just boil the apple chunks or slices until they’re soft, and then mash to the desired consistency. For variation, you could try adding spices (like nutmeg), or you could even add a berry fruit to the boiling stage – popular choices are blackberries and strawberries.
Categories: seasonal eating
I dry apples laid out in a single layer of slices on an old louvred cupboard door covered in muslin, in the ambient temperature of my narrowboat – either propped up against a window to benefit from the energy of the sun, or strung up near the ceiling to use the heat from the wood burner (depending on which is available according to the weather!). No extra energy required, so more environmentally friendly, and the slower drying time (usually around a week) means you’re guaranteed to catch them just right! If you have a warm spot in your home, see how you can get your apple slices into that spot to dry. The more air flow around the slices, the better, so use something slatted or similar so that air can get to the underside as well as on top.
I find eaters are a bit insipid when dried, but cookers lose their sharpness and keep a delicious flavour.
@Ali J – now that is frankly fantastic! I only wish you’d been able to include a photo. And great advice re eaters vs. cookers. That is a great tip for everyone here…