Strange Apple Information
Apples have a long reputation as the love fruit, starting with Adam and Eve's naughty caper in the Garden of Eden. But in fact, the first evidence of apple cultivation comes from the Middle East, some 4,000 years ago. Fast forward to Ancient Greece, and you have a tossed apple serving as a marriage proposal, with the bride catching it only if she accepted.
Today, there are over 7,000 varieties of apples in the world, with some trees capable of yielding 800lbs. worth of fruit at harvest time. Those apples come in a wide variety of reds, greens and yellows, with the Delicious being the top grower in America, although many people prefer the sweet McIntosh, or the tart of a Granny Smith.
As a food, apples are great for the diet, having 5 grams of fiber, and the same number of calories as a potato. But you would need to eat 11lbs. of apples to gain a pound of weight. The key to their difference with potatoes, is those calories come from carbohydrates. Apples are more than 80% water, with only 4% vitamins and nutrients.
Once the apple reached America, it flourished beyond farmers' wildest dreams. So prolific were the crops that in the 18th century, Yale University was known to serve them at every meal. And in the lower echelons of education, one-room schoolhouse teachers were often paid in goods when a town had no funds, and the apple became a frequent part of their salary.
The green Granny Smith was chosen as the symbol for Apple Records, the recording company started by the Beatles. Coincidentally, Ringo Starr once made a commercial in Japan for applesauce, where his name when translated, literally means "apple sauce".
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