Autumn Bounty: Apples, Squash, and Peaches

When I visited my grocery store today, a lady greeted me in the produce department with samples of two different varieties of apples. What a delight!!

One variety was Honey Crisp, like the ones shown to the left. They are sweet and crisp, leaving an incredibly fresh feeling in my mouth.

The other variety, Tentation, was a relatively new variety from France. They were first developed in the 1990s. The Tentation Apples in my grocery store were grown in New Zealand. Tentations have a slightly more subtle, but equally enchanting sweet taste without the intense crispiness of the Honey Crisp. Tentation apples are shown below on the right.

I also bought Granny Smith and Gala apples. Granny Smith apples originated in Sydney Australia in 1868 when Maria "Granny" Smith propagated a seedling thought to have been a hybrid of the European Wild Apple, Malus sylvestris, and the domestic apple, Malus domestica. They are among the most popular apples for both cooking and eating. They have a crisp texture and somewhat tart taste. They do not brown as quickly as most other apples.

For more information about foods that complement Granny Smith Apples go to http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/products/fruits/granny-smith-apple/ and for information about how Granny Smith originated the variety go to http://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/ryde/msherwood.htm. The picture on the left below shows Granny Smith Apples.

Gala apples originated in New Zealand, in the 1920s when J.H. Kidd crossed one of his own apple varieties with a golden delicious apple. They are fairly small apples with a sweet taste, and are excellent apples for eating raw as a snack. However, they do not survive cooking very well, so they are not considered the best cooking apples. Almonds and cheeses complement Gala Apples.

The picture on the left contains most of the apple varieties mentioned in this post. The apple in the front, left position of the basket is a Gala Apple. The basket also contains Granny Smiths, Honey Crisp, and Tentation Apples.

Epidemiological studies link eating apples with decreased risk of some cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and asthma. Apples and particularly apple peels have potent antioxidant activity and cholesterol-lowering effects.


Storing apples does not seem to decrease their content of chemicals that are favorable to human health. However, juice made from fresh apples was shown to have 10% of the antioxidant activity of the fresh apple. For more information about this, go to http://www.nutritionj.com/content/3/1/5.

Additional information about apples, including their history, nutrition, legends, and varieties can be found at The University of Illinois website http://urbanext.illinois.edu/apples.

Peaches were also wonderful buys at the grocery store this week, so I bought some. A picture of them is shown to the right. Don't you just love the taste of peaches? I just wish they weren't so messy. I am looking for recipes so that I can use them, and a future post will feature them.

Peaches originated in China and found their way to Persia and the Mediterranean region by about 2000 BCE. Chinese legends describe peaches as the food of the immortals because eating them was thought to confer longevity on people. For more information about this go to http://chinesefoodlover.wordpress.com/category/chinese-cuisine-history/.

Squash is another delight of this early Autumn season. I also bought some unusual squash at the grocery store, and will be blogging about them in the future. The picture on the left shows "Eight-Ball Squash." The produce grocer said that they are like a summer squash. I have never tasted them, but their uncanny resemblance to an eight-ball made me want to try them. I will let you know about their flavor.

The picture below the eight-balls shows acorn squash. Acorn squash are pretty common, but usually they don't look like these. I will try them also, and let

you know if they taste different from regular acorn squash.

Let me know if you have any interesting squash varieties that you have tried.