An Apple A Day...

Hi All,

An apple a day helps keep the doctor away.  Well, that old truism holds true - and it makes the basis of a great blog entry.  Especially at this time of the year when it is traditionally thought of as being 'apple season'.

So, when does apple season run?  According to Pochuck Valley Farms in Glenwood New Jersey, apple season runs from September 1st to October 31st - which means that we are toward the end of the season.  So start stocking up on those apples for the upcoming winter.

Now that we are talking apples, click on this link for a comprehensive list of the many varieties of apples that are available.  Note that the site bills itself as a resource for orchards and the apple industry.

Apple picking is a great way to spend some time with kids!  Click on this link from PickYourOwn.org to find some local apple orchards that have apple picking. Yum, yum!

Next, you need to know what makes for a good apple when you pick them in the orchard.  Click here for a quick overview of how to know a good apple from a bad apple - at least in the orchard that is...

Now that you've got more apples than you can shake a stick at, click on this link from Betty Crocker.com for a whole passel of apple and apple-related recipes.  Included in this list are recipes for apple breads and apple muffins, apple cakes, apple coffee cakes, apple pies,  and Betty Crocker's Best Apple Deserts.  Wow - now that is a great way to use all those apples you picked at the orchard!

So there you have it - a whole blog entry dedicated to 'all things apples' - well, most things at least..

Enjoy the sites and hopefully the results of your apple picking.

Regards,
Stu

New Thread For Topics!

Hi All,

I've had some time to think about the blog and possible topics...

Have I got topics planned for you!

Regular readers might remember that I started a thread of posts entitled, 'A is for...', 'B is for...', etc? Well, now I'm going to do the same thing - but a bit different.

We all know that eating healthy is important for good health. Well, on occasion, I'm going to pepper blog posts with topics on fruits and vegetables. For example, one post might be titled, 'B is for Bananas', or another post might be titled, 'R is for Raspberries'...the topic of each post will be the health benefits of each fruit or vegetable, a bit of history of the fruit, and other fun filled facts about the fruit for vegetable in question.

So, today, we are going to talk about apples. Of course apples - how could I not. The whole original sin issue rears its head when we talk about apples along with applesauce recipes, the many different variants of apples and links to apple picking and apple orchards on Long Island.

Forthwith - to apples we go!

So, why are apples so healthy? Click on this link for the healthy benefits of apples - courtesy of About.com.

Think you know about all the different varieties of apples? Click on this link and I suspect you'll find a few varieties that you haven't heard of before!

Click on this link for the Wikipedia entry on apples which discusses the history, health aspects and more about apples.

Yum, yum...now click on this link for some darn good apple recipes. I'm thinking apple pie, apple cobbler, apple sauce...I am so hungry now! Again, link is from About.com - recipes section. Click on this other link to find some more apple recipes from Allrecipes.com.

And remember, apple picking with kids can be a hoot - click on this link to find local orchards on Long Island where you can pick your own apples. Link is from Long Island.com fruit stands section.

Enjoy! Hope you like the format of the entry - because I have 25 more fruits and 26 more vegetables to talk about! I wonder what vegetable begins with the letter 'z'?

Stu