Apples are a member of the rose family of plants, along with pears, peaches, plums and cherries.
The science of apple growing is called pomology.
Apples come in all shades of red, green and yellow.
Most apples are still picked by hand.
It takes about 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider.
25 percent of an apple’s volume is air; that’s why they float.
A standard-size apple tree starts bearing fruit 8-10 years after it is planted. A dwarf tree starts bearing in 3-5 years.
It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.
A peck of apples weighs 10.5 pounds.
A bushel of apples weighs 42 pounds, and will yield 20-24 quarts of applesauce.
Most apple blossoms are pink when they open, but gradually transition to white.
Apple trees can be grown farther north than other fruit trees because they bloom late in spring, minimizing the chance of frost damage.
History
At last count, more than 7,500 apple varieties have been identified worldwide; more than 2,500 varieties are grown in the United States – 100 of which are grown for commercial sale.
Apples are grown commercially in 36 states.
Apples are the second most-valuable fruit grown in the United States; oranges are the first. (Source: USDA Economic Research Service)
The largest U.S. apple crop was 277.3 million bushels, harvested in 1998.
The world’s largest apple peel was created by Kathy Wafler Madison on October 16, 1976, in Rochester, N.Y. It was 172 feet 4 inches long. (She was 16 years old at the time, and grew up to be a sales manager for an apple tree nursery.) (Source: Guinness World Records)
One of George Washington’s hobbies was pruning his apple trees.
Newton Pippin apples were the first apples exported from America in 1768. Some were sent to Benjamin Franklin in London.
In 1730, the first apple nursery was opened in Flushing, New York.
Pilgrims planted the first U.S. apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Archeologists have found evidence that humans have been enjoying apples since 6500 BC.
Nutrition
A large-sized apple has about 130 calories.
Apples are fat-free, sodium-free and cholesterol-free. And they taste great, too!
Apples are an excellent source of fiber; one large apple contains 5 grams of fiber, including the soluble fiber pectin.
