Pomology

     Pomology is the science of apple growing.  And right now is prime time for orchard keepers to be harvesting the popular and healthy fruit.  Until the 21st Century the Red Delicious accounted for over half of all the apples grown and sold in the world.  It is a large apple with a dark red color.  Unfortunately these cosmetic characteristics were developed to the detriment of taste.  Today it had been reduced to less than a quarter of the market share due to the popularity of other varieties like the Braeburn and the Honey Crisp.  Newer Pacific varieties have also gained fame, like the Gala from New Zealand and the Fuji from Japan.

 Apples are a main ingredient in literally thousands of recipes with the ever popular American symbol, the apple pie, leading all others. But few cooks are aware of a simple tip to enhance their baking prowess.  By pre-cooking the apples until not quite tender and then permitting them to cool before adding to the pie crust, the shrinkage that occurs will permit more apples per cubic inch and produce a pie with more fruit and less juice.  An interesting British twist on our American favorite is to combine the flavors of pork and apple into a layered pie.  It is great fare for an Autumn dinner meal.



          Here are some interesting apple statistics:


80 calories in 1 apple 50 tree leaves are required to support a single apple 500 trees are in an acre of an orchard
45 pounds of apples are consumed annually by the average American

36 apples are squeezed to make 1 gallon of cider

5 grams of fiber are in 1 apple (20% of the daily recommended amount)

50 states grow apples, but it is not native to the United States

60% is the portion of the apple crop that is consumed as fresh fruit

.25% is the amount of air by volume in an apple, explaining why they float

Highest apple producing states:  1. Washington   2. New York   3. Michigan

          statistics courtesy of Orange Pippin's Apple Fun Facts 

And one final note from the New York Apple Association:
     Store your recently purchased apples in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Be sure to separate them from other vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cucumber and leafy greens as the ethelyne gas emitted by the apples can do damage.  However that same gas will retard sprouting in potatoes if an apple is stored with the spuds in a paper bag and placed in a cool, dark location.