Apple Time

by Ruth Ann Angus

A gathering of blackbirds perched on the electric wires this morning.  I could hear their insistent "scree-scree" calls. I had to shut down the window during the night—a bit of chill in the air. The pickleweed in the estuary is beginning to turn a rust color. It's September 20th and fall is but a few days away. With fall come apples! Time to head to See Canyon.

See Canyon rests in a small microclimate that is favorable for growing a variety of apples. The low slanting winter sun cannot reach into the canyon resulting in long cold spells that make for a successful flowering season. Summer brings sunny, warm days that rarely exceed 90 degrees causing maximum leaf photosynthesis that builds sugars and flavors in the fruit. Cool nights give the trees a rest so they store the day's production of sugars.

We know that apples in some form have been around for a long time. The wild apple of ancient times would never have made it to the modern table. Those trees produced hundreds of tiny sour fruits that were packed with small, dark brown seeds. Some historians dispute over exactly who first cultivated the wild apple but it is believed that it was the Romans. This brings into question whether or not Eve really did bite into an apple that she plucked from the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. She certainly wouldn't have enjoyed the ancient wild apple.

Apple cultivation spread all over Europe and the Colonists brought seeds with them to the New World. The legend of Johnny Appleseed states that he loved apples so much he traveled the country barefoot carrying apple seeds in his overall pockets. He tossed the seeds randomly to create a country filled with apples.

Johnny Appleseed was a real person named John Chapman of Massachusetts, born in 1774. He did love apples and started many apple nurseries from the Allegheny River in the East to Ohio. It was this that earned him the nickname Johnny Appleseed.

So what is it that makes the apple a really tasty fruit – a blend of tartness, sweetness, bitterness, and aroma. There are at least 7,500 different varieties in the world that vary in shape, color, texture, firmness, crispness juiciness, sweetness and nutritional value.

Remember the saying, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away?" Ancient people recognized that the fruit was good for them. The high fiber content offers bulk and aids the digestive process. They contain antioxidants that improve the immune system and prevent heart disease and some cancers. Green apples are a liver and gall bladder cleanser helping to soften gallstones. Physicians are finding that the pectin in apples reduces cholesterol as well as blood sugar. Raw apples give your gums a healthy massage and clean the teeth.

So hop in the car and head to See Canyon. The See family settled here in 1850 and Joseph See planted an apple orchard. Over the years, family owned orchards have prevailed. Daisy Dell, Creekside, See Canyon Ranch and Gopher Glen are a few where freshly picked apples and homemade cider are for sale.

At Gopher Glen, the sales staff is busy serving customers and packaging the selections of some of the 40-45 varieties of apples grown at this orchard.  Empire, Mutsu, Gala, Jonathan, Delicious, and Pippin are just some of the types grown here. Cider, nuts, honey and other fruits are sold at some of the stands.

You can't go wrong spending a day in See Canyon. If you love apples, it's definitely the place to go. And don't miss it in springtime for a spectacular blossom display.

Apple Facts

• Apples come in all shades of reds, greens, yellows.
• Two pounds of apples make one 9-inch pie.
• 2500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States.
• Apples are a member of the rose family.
• Apple varieties range in size from a little larger than a cherry to as large as a grapefruit.
• The largest apple picked weighed three pounds.
• The "Delicious" apple is the most widely grown in the United States.
• Twenty-five percent of an apple's volume is air. That is why they float.
• Apples ripen six to 10 times faster at room temperature than if they were refrigerated.
• It takes about 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider.