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The Apple: Historically Significant, Nutritious And Tasty Too..
By: Ann Kyle
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The apple has been admired for centuries as it has been cultivated and consumed across the world. According to buzzle.com, the origins of the apple date back to the Iron Age as archaeologists have uncovered carbonized remains of the apple during this era. Evidence also confirms that during the Stone Age apples were eaten by humans.
The exact origin of the apple tree isn’t known, but, it is believed that apples trees are the oldest cultivated trees in the world. There are historians who state that Romans were the first to plant and cultivate the apple tree with the fruit’s origin being traced to South Western Asia. However, other historians contradict this believing that apples originated in Kazakhstan in South Central Asia.
While reading through this article I wondered how many varieties of apples there actually are. Wikipedia lists more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples, present day. We use them in cooking, baking, fresh eating and cider production. Apples are also recommended by health professionals as a source for lowering heart disease, weight control and for maintaining a mouth-full of pearly whites. From September 2011, Health, the University of Iowa suggests that the peel from the apple appears to be anabolic and “may help build muscle.”
My Mother always told me that food is a universal communicator, and, life experiences have proven her to be correct. When I was in class to become a foster parent our trainers and caseworkers always reminded the group about the importance of food to an abandoned/neglected child. The legend of ‘Johnny Appleseed’ is known to just about every American as a popular folk hero. Johnny Appleseed was actually a farmer named John Chapmen who made it his mission to cultivate so many apples that no one would go to sleep hungry. Mr. Chapmen devoted his entire life towards the ‘apple cause’ until he died in 1845.
From your own back yard, to nearby orchards and major cities across our planet the apple is a marvel as it can be plucked straight from the branch or crafted in to comfort food. Is the coffee on?
APPLE CAKE
Beat together:
2 cups sugar
1 cup cooking oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Add:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 ½ cups flour
Fold in:
3 cups diced apples
1 cup chopped English walnuts
Keep to add after poured into baking pan:
¾ cup maraschino cherries
½- ¾ cup butterscotch morsels
Mix well and pour in a 9×12 baking pan sprayed with non-stick baking spray. Place halved maraschino cherries on top about 1 ½ inch apart. Then sprinkle ½-3/4 cup of butterscotch morsels on top of batter.
Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees, test with a toothpick, when toothpick pulls out clean cake is done. This cake is best when made at least 24 hrs prior to eating.
Credit to Priya Johnson at buzzle.com; Wikipedia; from the September 2011 Health issue; Cindy Adams (from Nelsonville, Ohio); and, from the kitchen of Georgia O’Rourke (from Nelsonville, Ohio) for the Apple Cake recipe.