Apple Season Brings Plenty of Healthy Uses

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Apple season is a good time to look for fresh ways to add this nutritious fruit to your everyday meals. Apples are low in calories, high in fiber and packed with nutrients. They also support heart and oral health and may help with weight management.

Before your next grocery trip, try eating an apple or another healthy snack. Researchers at Cornell University found that shoppers who ate a healthy snack before going to the store bought 25 to 28% more produce than those who ate a cookie or nothing beforehand.

Apples come in a wide range of flavors and textures, from tart to sweet and from firm to soft. Pick up familiar favorites or sample new varieties at farmers markets, orchards, and local retailers. Many of these places offer samples along with recipes and advice on which apples work best for snacking, baking, or cooking. You can also buy several kinds and host your own taste test.

Fresh whole apples deliver the most benefits. Pair them with peanut butter or cheese for a filling snack with protein, or slice them into salads for extra sweetness and crunch.

Proper storage helps you enjoy apples longer. Use bruised, cut, or damaged fruit quickly, and store only firm apples without blemishes.

Apples keep best at temperatures between 32 and 39 degrees with 95% humidity. Since ideal storage conditions are not always available, you can extend freshness by placing apples in perforated plastic bags in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer. The bag helps hold moisture around the fruit while still allowing air to circulate.

If you have extra apples, set some aside for preserving. Turn them into sauce or pie filling for canning, peel and cook them into fruit leather for snacking, or make and freeze apple pies for an easy dessert that can be baked and served later.

You can also save a few apples for a creative project and turn them into apple heads. This Native American tradition was later adopted by settlers and is now part of American folk art. All you need are a couple of apples, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 2 tablespoons salt, a bowl of water, a pencil and a knife.

Mix the salt and lemon juice into a bowl of water and set it aside. Peel the apple and remove the core if you want to place it on a stick or prefer a long, drooping face. Draw the face outline, then carve the features into the apple.

Soak the carved apple in the salty lemon water for about 10 minutes. Then place it on a cooling rack or hang it in a warm spot to dry. The apple head is ready when it feels spongy or leathery.

Add finishing touches by placing beads in the eye sockets and rice for teeth. Use the finished apple as a doll head or mount it on a stick and include it in Halloween decorations.

Make the most of apple season by finding new ways to include apples in your diet. You can enjoy a wide range of flavors and many different uses from this healthy fruit.