APPLES

The Apple! The forbidden fruit or an elixir to keep the doctor away.

Apples date to the beginning of mankind. If you take Genesis at its word, the very beginning of mankind. Their value is based not only on their nutritional value but their ability to remain unspoiled for months at cool temperatures. Ancient travelers carried apples. Barrels of apples were a staple on ships at sea. Settlers moving west in our country's infancy often carried a barrel of apples.

In the U.S., we produce over 4 million tons of apples per year. The U.S. is just ahead of Iran which produces 2 million and behind China with 27 million tons per year. There are more than 7,500 different types of apples cultivated around the world. And what do we do with all these apples, you ask. Here is my list. Apple juice, apple pie, apple crisp, apple cake, apple butter, apple cider, apple vinegar, apple sauce, apple wine, apple brandy, apple schnapps, candy apples, caramel apples, toffee apples, and applejack!

By now you're wondering where the heck we got all these apple trees in our country. Were they always here? No! is the answer. They were planted and cultivated by early European immigrants. The one single person who receives the most acclaim for this is a relative of my wife's sister-in-law, Barb. She was a Chapman and her famous ancestor, John, dedicated his life to the propagation of the apple tree in America. John is credited with planting over one million apple trees in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois during his lifetime which stretched from 1774 to 1845. We call him Johnny Appleseed.

You are the apple of my eye! You know who you are.
:D