Archive for October, 2009


23 Oct Apples!

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I am in love with fall. I’ve always loved fall, but usually I am so busy complaining about San Francisco’s lack of summer that I completely forget to lavish my love on autumn. But this year is different. I am ready for sweaters and winter squash and something hot and fragrant stewing on my stove. Enter apples.


A couple of months ago an old friend who happens to run Ohana Farms mentioned in passing the burden of his fall apple harvest. Ever one to jump on an opportunity, I jumped and, not really knowing what I’d do with them, offered to pick as many apples as he could spare. Shortly thereafter, I had more apples than I could comfortably carry and a glimmer of an idea. (More on that later.)

Apples are a pretty incredible gift. Anyone who’s read Michael Pollan’s “Botany of Desire” — yes, he did exist before “Omnivore’s Dilemma” — knows that apples are nothing to sneeze at (according to Pollan, each seed in a given apple has a completely unique genetic code). A member of the rose family, apples are originally from the Middle East and human consumption of the fruit has been traced back to as early as 6500 B.C. Apples now are ubiquitous, with over 7,000 varieties cultivated around the world (the Crabapple is the only variety native to North America; apples of some variety are grown in all 50 U.S. states). Oh, and Supreme Court Justice Souter supposedly eats an entire apple (skin, flesh, core, seeds and all) every day.

Raw apples and apple juice, good sources of Vitamin C, potassium and fiber (soluble and insoluble), are more nutritious than cooked or dried apples. The Mayo Clinic reminds us that the Vitamin C in apples is an antioxidant (helps repair damaged cells), helps our bodies produce collagen (for healthy connective tissues) and aids in our absorption of iron. According to Michael Murray (“Encyclopedia of Healing Foods”) apple consumption has been linked to lower risk for asthma, heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes. Most of this is attributed to high flavonoid content, in particular, quercitin (which is found in apple skin, so stopped peeling them). Studies have also shown that the pectin (a soluble fiber) found in apples can lower cholesterol (one apple/day can lower cholesterol 8-11 percent), regulate blood sugar, improve intestinal muscle tone (which helps moves waste through your gastrointestinal tract), and relieve diarrhea — virtually one-stop shopping for all large intestine troubles. Paul Pitchford (“Healing with Whole Foods”) writes that the malic and tartaric acids in apples inhibit growth of unbenefictial gut bacteria. He also writes that apples are cleansing for the liver and gallbladder (can soften gallstones) and are moistening to the body over all (reducing heat and dryness, especially in the lungs).

Yowza. Bottom line: this is probably one of the biggest bang for your buck, highly portable snacks you can grab on your way out the door.