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An apple a day still keeps the doc away

October 7, 2007 12:35 am

APPLES have been revered since ancient times, not just for their ability to "keep the doctor away," but also for playing a part in Bible stories, French love potions, American pioneers' westward trek and, later, the Underground Railroad.

Apples are well-known as a healthy food. They are rich in disease-fighting antioxidants and low in calories. They contain pectin, a gentle fiber, making them helpful in combating constipation. And they have a low glycemic index, meaning they don't raise blood sugar too quickly.

Women who eat an apple a day are 28 percent less likely to develop diabetes, according to Harvard University researchers. Eating an apple a day may also reduce risk of cancers by 10 percent to 40 percent, according to Italian researchers.

British scientists suggest that eating apples also may reduce the risk of asthma and lung disease, although it's not known why there is a connection.

It's best to leave the skin on the apple when you eat it. Not only are much of the fiber and antioxidants in the skin or just beneath it, but the skin also adds flavor.

Besides eating apples out of hand for an instant, portable snack, you can add them to almost every meal. At breakfast time, consider mincing apples to add to oatmeal or to pancake batter.

For lunch and supper, try an unusual slaw of grated carrots, thinly sliced apples and sections of fresh oranges, drizzled with a creamy garlic dressing.

I have heard that the Brits adore sandwiches stuffed with sharp cheddar cheese, thinly sliced apples and mustard. Sounds odd, but it is tangy, savory, sweet and filling all at once.

Apples also make marvelous desserts. One of the fastest and easiest homemade desserts is baked (or microwaved) apples. Use a potato peeler to carve out the core of an apple. Then fill the hollow center with raisins or walnuts, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Microwave for one to five minutes, depending on how soft and juicy you like the apple to be. Serve hot, either plain or with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Apples also are ingredients in fresh, sweet cider. An apple winery near my home even makes a deliciously dry champagne-style sparkling wine.

Apple harvest season starts in late summer and runs through early winter.

Driving out to an orchard is one of my favorite things to do at this time of year. It takes only 10 or 15 minutes to pick a 15-pound bag of apples, and often I linger longer, savoring the sunshine, bird song, blue sky and spicy fragrance of ripening apples.

Plus, at orchards and farmers markets and apple festivals, you can find hundreds of tasty, old-time varieties not sold in chain stores. These apples aren't as perfectly shaped as shiny Red Delicious apples, but they taste far better.

Check virginiaapples.org for a list of upcoming festivals and a guide to pick-your-own orchards. Upcoming events include the Carter Mountain Apple Harvest Festival in Charlottesville.

Some apple varieties with fascinating histories include Thomas Jefferson's tart Albemarle Pippin apples, also known as Newtown Pippins.

Jefferson caused a stir on a trip to England when he presented some of the apples to the queen. She liked them so much that she repealed a tax on imported apples.

Albemarle Pippins are ideally suited to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains but apparently hard to grow elsewhere, and thus hard to find.

Another apple with an interesting history is the petite, naturally perfumed Lady apple or Snow apple, which was a favorite of French Emperor Louis XIV. It's often given as a Christmas gift.

Then there are the Golden-fleshed Northern Spy apples, which are rumored to have been discovered in the 1860s in upstate New York at a stop on the Underground Railroad, which smuggled slaves out of the Confederacy.

Grimes Golden apples were supposedly planted by Johnny Appleseed, a Yankee who wandered the American frontier, sowing orchards. In harsh winters, pioneers depended on long-keeping foods such as fresh, whole apples and dried apple slices.

Some apples, like Winesaps, keep well for months. Others, like Paula Reds, are best eaten within a few weeks of being picked.

If you're not sure what variety you have, keep your apples in the refrigerator. If any need ripening, put them on the counter in a paper bag for a few days.

Whatever apples you choose, you'll get a taste of good nutrition and interesting history.

Jennifer Motl welcomes reader questions via her Web site, brighteating.com, or mailed to Nutrition, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401.