The apple is one of the most widely grown fruits. It is also one of the oldest & most familiar foods. Apples are mentioned in the Bible & Greek mythology. Apples vary widely in size, shape, color, & texture.The apple tree thrives in areas with a distinct winter but not excessive cold. These conditions are found in places where summers are mild & winters are cold.Apple trees grow best in soils that are well-drained & fertile. The slopes of hills are generally preferred for growing apples. This is because during frosty spring nights, the cold, heavy air on the hillsides settles in the valley below. If this were not so, the blossoms or young fruit could be destroyed by too much cold.The apple is one of the pome, or fleshy, fruits. Apples at harvest are usually roundish, 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) in diameter, & are red or yellow in color. The glossy fruit is juicy & crisp. To grow apple trees, a method called grafting is used. First, a twig or a bud from the stem of one apple plant is cut. This portion, called the scion, is then placed on the stem or branch of another well-rooted apple plant. The rooted plant is called the rootstock. Tape, rubber, & even nails can be used to tightly join the scion & the rootstock. The two halves later grow together, & a new apple plant is born. Within a year a small amount of scion material from one plant can produce hundreds of plants.
As the trees grow, they are pruned (trimmed) to stop weak branches from growing & to prevent branches from clustering too closely together. The trees are also sprayed with chemicals so that insects do not attack the plant & the apple fruits do not ripen until late autumn.The largest producers of apples are the United States, China, France, Italy, & Turkey. The largest exporters, which are countries that send apples to other countries, are France, Italy, Hungary, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, & the United States.
Apples contain minerals, the vitamins A & C, & fruit sugars. Most of the fruit is water—only a small part is solid material. Apples are quite nutritious. They can be eaten fresh or cooked in a variety of ways. Apples are often used as pastry filling. In the United States, apple pie is a traditional dessert. In Europe, fried apples are served along with certain dishes of sausage or pork. Apples also provide a juice that can be drunk fresh or made into a drink called cider. Apples are also used to make vinegar, jelly, applesauce, & a spread called apple butter.Europe had hundreds of apple varieties before Europeans came to the Americas in the 16th century. As the European settlers moved across North America, they planted different types of apple seedlings. In about 1800, John Chapman, also known as “Johnny Appleseed,” planted a series of apple nurseries in Ohio & Indiana. He sold or gave away thous&s of apple seedlings to settlers, who were then able to set up flourishing apple orchards.Today there are apple orchards in North America, Europe, & Asia. Although there are thous&s of varieties of apples, only a few are raised commercially. Some popular apple varieties are the Red Delicious, Duchess, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Northern Spy, Williams Red, & Yellow Transparent.
