Apple Season
Today as I write this, it is the first day of Autumn. Fall means many things, the return of the school season, the changing of the leaves, a crispness in the air, and also, its APPLE SEASON! New York State is definitely home to many amazing orchards that produce many different varieties of apples. When the apples are ripe, they are picked and brought to farmers’ markets, grocery stores or farm stands for us to enjoy, or make into pies, applesauce crumbles, and more. Or it is pressed into a crisp apple cider or made into a hard apple cider. The versatility of the apple is pretty extensive!
While we may think NY and apples go hand in hand, they are not actually native to North America. Apples originally come from Central Asia and were traded along the Silk Road. They were soon introduced to Europe and their popularity grew as they were planted across the continent, providing food, beverages, and feed for livestock. The first apple trees in North America grew from seeds brought by French Jesuits in the late sixteenth century. It is not known if the settlers of Jamestown had apple trees, but the Pilgrims who settled in (modern) Massachusetts in 1620 brought young apple trees from England and planted seedling orchards throughout New England. As people moved west, they brought apple seedlings with them. It was often the first crop planted on a farm and quickly became a common feature on most properties.
While many apples were grown for eating, the vast majority were used to make cider. Not the apple cider we buy today, but what we now call Hard Cider. At one time the most common alcoholic beverage consumed was hard cider. It is said that John Adams drank a pint each morning for its health benefits. He ended up living to be 90 so it must have had some good benefits! When the temperance movement came about, cider was an easy target and thousands of apple trees were chopped down so as to prevent people from having the ability to make cider.
I found some interesting trivia facts about apples from the NY Apple Association and wanted to share them with you:
Apples are a member of the rose family of plants, along with pears, peaches, plums, and cherries.
The science of apple growing is called pomology.
Apples come in all shades of red, green, and yellow.
Most apples are still picked by hand.
It takes about 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider.
25 percent of an apple’s volume is air; that’s why they float.
A standard-size apple tree starts bearing fruit 8-10 years after it is planted. A dwarf tree starts bearing in 3-5 years.
It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.
A bushel of apples weighs 42 pounds and will yield 20-24 quarts of applesauce.
Most apple blossoms are pink when they open but gradually transition to white.
Apple trees can be grown farther north than other fruit trees because they bloom late in spring, minimizing the chance of frost days.
At last count, more than 7,500 apple varieties have been identified worldwide; more than 2,500 varieties are grown in the United States – 100 of which are grown for commercial sale.
In 1730, the first apple nursery was opened in Flushing, New York.
Archeologists have found evidence that humans have been enjoying apples since 6500 BC
However, you choose to enjoy your apples, the vendors at the market can probably meet that need, from freshly picked apples to baked apple products as well as cider and even hard cider, so when you’re at the market this week take advantage of one of NY States most popular crops. See you all this week at the market.
Greg
Millbrook Farmers Market Manager