Apples

It may seem strange to spend a whole month on one fruit, but I found too much interesting food history for the apple to just gloss over it all! 🙂 Apples have defintiely earned their place as one of the most used and most well known fruits. Apples have long played a part in human history. They pop up everywhere from the American pioneers to Norse mythology. They have even found their way into stories, songs, folk tales and legends. Apples are even believed to perhaps be the fruit that tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden!

Apples are members of the Rose family with pears, plums and peaches in the same family. The tree’s beautiful white and pink blooms are a wonderful reminder of the coming spring while it’s delicious fruit is a symbol of autumn. Did you know that it can take up to 8 years for an apple tree to produce fruit?

This delicious fruit is believed to have been first cultivated in Asia. From Asia they were brought along the Silk Road and introduced to Europe. Sour crab apple remains have been discovered in Switzerland. The ancient Romans considered the apple a luxury fruit. 

Apples store and dry very well making them a wonderful way for our forefathers to get their vitamins in the dead of winter. So many products are made from apples from apple butter to apple cider vinegar, from applesauce to apple juice. Apple is also a popular flavor in many products too. And of course, the scent of apple can be found in everything from dish soap to body lotion to candles!