Fruit in the Spotlight: Apples

This is what Denise Tolson had to say to us about her love of apples:

"My mum used to feed us apples when we were old enough to grasp food in the highchair. We had whole ones to roll around, and slices (first without and then with peel) to eat. She lived in Kent, ‘the garden of England’ as a child so there was a lot of scrumping went on and a lot of running away from angry farmers!

I went for a walk with my aunt last autumn and we did a bit of collecting of windfalls which reminded me of old times.

I always beg apples in the autumn and make sure I freeze loads. My father in law likes apple sauce on EVERYTHING so I have to make sure I keep in his good books.

I love apples and so do my kids. My personal favourites are the English varieties, for eating apples I love Cox’s Pippins and Russets. My mum’s personal favourite was James Greave and when we moved to a house with a garden big enough to put a couple of trees in that is what she chose along with a lovely Bramley for cooking. When we moved from London to the Midlands, my husband and I bought a Victorian semi with a really long garden that had a couple of Bramley trees at the bottom, along with a Victoria Plum and a pear. Fruit heaven! We moved a few years ago and now have a garden with a couple of damson trees but no apples, you’ve made me think about planting some now!"

In season?

August and September: Early varieties such as Discovery and Redsleeves.

September through to the end of December: Late varieties like the Egremont.

October through to the end of March: "Storers" like Cox (and Bramley - the cooking apple).

Buy?

Best to go for organic apples, or else to peel them, as apples are one of the most heavily sprayed crops.

Also, if you are environmentally minded, look out for buying apples out of season, as they are often shipped from as far away as New Zealand. When choosing your apples, do try your local farmers’ market or even better, have a fun day out at an orchard. Don’t be afraid of blemishes or more dull, less shiny skins – and try sniffing apples when you’re shopping – really! An absence of fragrance is a good sign that your apple will lack flavour, however bright, shiny and blemish-less it is…

Store?

Better to store them somewhere cool and dark than in the fridge, to avoid them losing flavour and becoming “powdery”. Early season (ie now) apples, like the Discovery, will only last a week. Some later season apples can be kept for months if individually wrapped in newspaper and kept somewhere cool and dark

Freeze?

No, but they can be dried in slices in the oven

Cook?

Absolutely! Whilst apples are a great snack, they are also great raw in salads or juices, or cooked in sauces and, of course, baked in crumbles and pies!

About Apples

Some would say that the humble apple has played a critical role for mankind throughout history… Think Adam and Eve, or Sir Isaac Newton!
They are full of fibre and Vitamin C, are low in calories, make an absolutely delicious and easy snack, and are even thought to help us eliminate problems, such as joint pain, caused by the build up of unwanted waste in the system, which they can help to eliminate.

And there are so many different types of apple to try, just in the UK alone. Some of them are sweet, some a little more “tart”, some crisp and green, some red and fluffy … and around the world there are more than 7,000 varieties.

All belong in the Rosaceae family, which includes roses, strawberries and apricots, to name a few.

Little Known Apple Facts

Apples absorb other odors, so keep them away from garlic and onions!

You need two apple trees close together to ensure pollination.

The first colonists to Northern America took apple seeds with them.

Avoid ingesting apple pips. Not because you’ll get apple trees growing out of your belly button, like my Mum used to say (!), but because they contain a substance that, when it breaks down, turns into hydrogen cyanide. We think you’d have to eat a lot to actually get ill, but still, it doesn’t seem like a great idea…

What to do with Apples

There really is no need to peel your apples, if they are organic and washed well, and especially as many of the nutrients are found just below the skin.

If you’re slicing your apples, it’s a good idea to plop the slices into water with lemon juice in, to stop them discolouring.

If you have Bramleys, those are the favourite for baking – we don’t recommend trying to eat Bramleys raw!

If you’ve got Granny Smiths, or Coxes, those are great either for eating raw or for using in tarts and flans.

At this early stage of the season, though, you are most likely to find the “Discovery” apple in your fruit bag.

Apple Recipes:

Denise Tolson's Smoked Haddock and Early Apples

Grilled Apple and Cheese Sandwich

And do have a go at saucing your apples – it’s so easy! Just boil the apple chunks or slices until they’re soft, and then mash to the desired consistency. For variation, you could try adding spices (like nutmeg), or you could even add a berry fruit to the boiling stage – popular choices are blackberries and strawberries.