Few items are as quintessentially autumn as apples.
From drinking cider and baking pies to the memories made perusing orchards while on the hunt for that perfect Gala, Honeycrisp, Fuji or Jonagold, apples are far more than just a healthy snack. Here in the Great Lakes State, they are an intrinsic part of our culture.
And, still, there are a few things you may not even know about them.
We’ve rounded up ten interesting facts that may make you go Mmmmmmm…
- It takes about 35 apples to produce 1 gallon of apple cider.
- Apples are in the rose family, along with pears, peaches, plums, and cherries.
- The largest U.S. apple crop was harvested in 1998—and produced a whopping 277.3 million bushels.
- It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.
- Apples range in size from a little larger than a cherry tomato to as large as a grapefruit. The largest apple ever picked weighed in at 3 pounds.
- Apples contain no fat, sodium or cholesterol and are a good source of fiber.
- The crabapple is the only apple native to North America.
- Most apples are still picked by hand.
- Archeologists have found evidence that humans have been enjoying apples since 6500 BC.
- Apples are the second most-valuable fruit grown in the United States; oranges are the first. And here’s a bonus: Apples are able to float because they’re 25 percent air.
Sources: New York Apple Association, USDA Economic Research Service, University of Illinois, and Pam’s Daily Dish
