An apple a day…
Apples are delicious on their own, but their versatility makes them one of the most consumed fruits in the world. Cider, juice, sauce, crisps and pie made with apples all come to mind for their sweetness, but this hardy fruit works well in salads, sandwiches and chicken dinners, too. Here are some fun facts about apples:
- The top apple producers around the world are China, the United States, Turkey, Poland and Italy. Apples account for 50 percent of international deciduous fruit tree production.
- There are over 2,500 varieties of apples grown in the U.S.
- The most popular varieties of apples in the U.S. are the Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and the Granny Smith.
- Apples float in water because a whopping 25% of their volume is actually air. Apples are less dense than water, making them the perfect fruit for apple bobbing.
- Apples contain almost twice the amount of fiber as one serving of a fiber supplement.
- The fiber in apples can help one feel full on fewer calories, which can ultimately help in weight management. Plus, fiber fights cholesterol and lowers heart disease risk.
- The malic acid in apples can help mitigate pain associated with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
- This healthy fruit contains pectin, quercetin, procyanidins, and vitamin C, which are all beneficial in the prevention of disease and cancer.
- Most of the antioxidants found in apples, including quercetin, are located in the skin.
- Apples will ripen six to ten times faster at room temperature than if they are refrigerated.
- The science of apple growing is called pomology.
- Pilgrims planted the first U.S. apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
- Apples are members of the rose family.
- The fear of apples is known as Malusdomesticaphobia. This phobia gets its name from the scientific name of apples, which is Malus domestica.
- Most apple blossoms are pink when they open but gradually transform into white.
- It takes the energy of 50 leaves to produce one apple.
- Apples come in all sizes, from just a bit bigger than a cherry, to about the same size as a grapefruit.
- The largest apple ever picked weighed in at 3 pounds, 2 ounces.
- Thanks to their high levels of boron, apples can help improve memory, mental alertness, and electrical activity of the brain.
- The average person eats 65 apples per year.
- Most apples are still picked by hand.
- Apple trees can live to be about 100 years old.
By Lisa Nicklanovich; courtesy photo
Mtofaa ni matunda ya kawaida, lakini kwa sababu ya matumizi yake mengi, ni moja ya matunda yanayotumiwa zaidi ulimwenguni. Cider, juisi, mchuzi, chips na pie zilizotengenezwa na apples zote kuja akilini kwa ajili ya utamu wao, lakini matunda hii hardy kazi vizuri katika saladi, sandwichi na chakula cha jioni kuku, pia. Hapa kuna baadhi ya ukweli wa kufurahisha kuhusu apples: - wazalishaji wa juu wa apples duniani kote ni China, Marekani, Uturuki, Poland na Italia. Mazao ya matunda ya apple ni asilimia 50 ya mazao ya kimataifa ya miti ya matunda. Kuna aina zaidi ya 2,500 za apples nchini Marekani, na aina maarufu zaidi ni Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, na Granny Smith. Matofaa huelea kwenye maji kwa sababu asilimia 25 ya kiasi chao ni hewa. Matofaa hayana unene kama wa maji, na hivyo ni matunda bora ya kutengenezea mlo wa mlo. - Matofaa yana kiasi cha nyuzi karibu mara mbili ya kiasi cha ziada ya nyuzi. Nyuzinyuzi katika apples inaweza kusaidia mtu kujisikia kamili juu ya kalori chache, ambayo hatimaye inaweza kusaidia katika usimamizi wa uzito. Kwa kuongezea, nyuzi hupambana na kolesteroli na hupunguza hatari ya ugonjwa wa moyo. Asidi ya maliki katika matunda yaweza kusaidia kupunguza maumivu yanayohusiana na ugonjwa wa fibromyalgia na ugonjwa wa uchovu sugu. Matunda haya ya afya yana pectin, quercetin, procyanidins, na vitamini C, ambayo yote ni muhimu katika kuzuia magonjwa na kansa. - Vitu vingi vinavyopatikana katika matofaa, kutia ndani quercetin, viko katika ngozi. Mazao ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda ya matunda. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""Kulima kwa mtofaa"" ni utafiti wa pomolojia." Wahamiaji walipanda miti ya kwanza ya mtofaa huko Massachusetts Bay. - Matofaa ni washiriki wa familia ya waridi. Hofu ya mtofaa huitwa malusdomesticaphobia. Jina la phobia ni kutokana na jina la kisayansi la apples, Malus domestica. - Maua mengi ya matofaa huwa na rangi ya waridi yanapofunguliwa lakini hatua kwa hatua hubadilika kuwa meupe. Inahitaji nishati ya majani 50 kutengeneza apple moja. Mtofaa unaweza kuwa na ukubwa tofauti, kuanzia ukubwa wa kipepeo hadi ukubwa wa zabibu. Mtofaa mkubwa zaidi kuwahi kuchukuliwa ulikuwa na uzito wa pauni tatu na unsi mbili. Kwa sababu ya kiasi kikubwa cha boroni, matunda ya mtofaa yanaweza kusaidia kuboresha kumbukumbu, uelewa, na utendaji wa umeme wa ubongo. Kwa mfano, mtu mmoja hula matunda 65 kwa mwaka. - Matofaa mengi bado huchukuliwa kwa mkono. Mti wa apple unaweza kuishi kwa miaka 100 hivi. Na Lisa Nicklanovich; picha ya heshima