Homespun
October 17, 2001
If It's Fall, Then It Must Mean Apples!
It seems that most of us enjoy eating apples: U.S. per capita consumption of apples (and processed apple products) is about 40 pounds per year. The apple may not be the nutritional stand-out in the fruit bowl - an orange or a banana, for instance, is richer in vitamins and minerals - but if an apple is eaten as one of the recommended two to four servings of fruit a day, it will provide you with respectable amounts of soluble and insoluble fiber, some vitamin C and beta carotene (if you eat the peel), and potassium and boron. The fruit is fibrous, juicy, and nonsticky, making it a good tooth cleaner and gum stimulator. Apples are also widely available, and they store well compared to many other fruits.
There are about seventy-five hundred varieties of apples grown all over the world, and twenty-five hundred in the United States alone. Just 16 varieties account for 90 percent of the domestic apple production. The leading varieties are Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jonathan, McIntosh, Red Delicious, Rome Beauty, Stayman, York, Cortland, Crispin, Empire, Gravenstein, Idared, Macoun, Newtown Pippin, Northern Spy, Rhode Island Greening and Winesap.
Enjoy some of our North Carolina apples as they are coming in this fall and these recipes that are from the Tarheel Kitchen collection. APPLE BREAD
1 cup sugar
½ cup vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 tablespoon buttermilk
2 cups sifted self-rising flour
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1½ cups chopped, peeled tart apples
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease bottom of 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan; set aside. Cream 1 cup sugar, shortening, and vanilla with electric mixer in mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs and buttermilk; blend well. Add flour; blend well. Stir in lemon peel and apples. Pour into prepared pan. Combine 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over batter. Bake 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Gently loosen sides of loaf. Turn out onto wire rack to cool completely. FRESH APPLE CAKE
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1½ cups oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped dates
1 (8 oz.) can coconut
1½ cups chopped pecans
1 cup sliced maraschino cherries
3 cups chopped apples
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup margarine
1 cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup milk
Beat eggs, sugar and oil in mixer bowl until light and lemon-colored. Sift flour, soda and cinnamon into bowl. Add to egg mixture; mix well. Stir in dates, coconut, pecans, maraschino cherries, apples and vanilla. Spoon into greased 9 x 13-inch cake pan. Bake at 425° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake pulls away from side of pan. Combine margarine, brown sugar and milk in small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over hot cake. May substitute cream cheese frosting for brown sugar glaze. Yield: 12 servings. APPLE AND CHEESE CASSEROLE
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup butter
7 apples, peeled, sliced
6 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Mix flour, sugar and salt in small bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Toss apples with water and lemon juice in bowl. Spoon into greased 8-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with flour mixture. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 5 minutes longer. Yield: 8 servings.
This page created by Margie Yarnell, Extension Secretary/Webmaster.
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