October 05, 2007 Food + Drink » Food News

        
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Apple Trivia

By Suzanne Podhaizer

click to enlarge

It's the season for harvest festivals and apple picking, as pretty much every local food publication has made abundantly clear.

To help you out, here's a list of pick-your-own places in Vermont. It's not apple specific, but there are lots of orchards on the list.

And now the fun stuff...

Apple Trivia:

In Ancient Greece, one way of proposing to a young lady was tossing her an apple. Catching it was the equivalent of saying "yes." But what if your chosen one was a klutz?
There are more than 7500 apple varieties in the world
China produces more apples than any other country. The United States comes in second
The world's biggest (known) apple weighed three pounds
Way before Zoloft was a gleam in a Pfizer exec's eye, apple juice was prescribed as an antidepressant
One of the oldest known cookbooks, the Roman De Re Coquinaria (On the Subject of Cooking), includes a recipe for pork with apples. The book is from the 4th or 5th century A.D.
At weddings, it used to be customary to throw apples. Rice probably hurts less
Only crab apples grew in the United States before European settlers introduced bigger, sweeter versions
When John Glenn orbited the earth, he noshed on applesauce in space
One medium apple contains 80 calories and 20% of your daily fiber requirement
Apples are related to roses, strawberries and almonds
It takes 36 apples to make one gallon of apple cider

In my research, I noticed that apple varieties often have really cool names. Here are a few of them:

1) Ashmead's Kernal
2) Crimson Crisp
3) Epicure
4) Fallawater
5) Galarina
6) Horneburger Pancake
7) Hubbardston Nonesuch
8) Lady in the Snow
9) Magnum Bonum
10) Northern Lights
11) Pink Sparkle
12) Rambo
13) Rusty Coat
14) Sops of Wine
15) Smokehouse
16) Strawberry Parfait
17) Translucent Crab
18) Winter Banana
19) Zuccalmaglio's Rienette

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Tags: Food News, Omnivore Blog

        
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About The Author

Suzanne Podhaizer

podhaizer@sevendaysvt.com

Bio:
Contributor Suzanne Podhaizer is an award-winning food writer (and the former Seven Days food editor) as well as a chef, farmer, and food-systems consultant. She has given talks at the Stone Barns Center for Agriculture's "Poultry School" and its flagship "Young Farmers' Conference." She can slaughter a goose,... more