The apple has been given a bad rap by people who obviously haven’t read the first book of the Bible — Genesis.
Apples have long been associated with the biblical story of Adam and Eve, although there is actually no mention that, in fact, the fruit in question was actually an apple.
Apples are first mentioned in the Bible in King Solomon’s Song of Songs.
In Genesis 2, vs. 9, it says, “And the Lord God planted all sorts of trees in the garden — beautiful trees that produced delicious fruit. At the center of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Then in Genesis 2, vs 16, it says, “But the Lord God gave him (Adam) this warning: You may freely eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
Eve was tempted to eat the fruit of that tree, which she did and gave some to Adam, who was with her. Then he ate it, too.
The apple tree, which originally came from Eastern Europe and southwestern Asia, has spread to most temperate regions of the world. Over the centuries, many hybrids and cultivars have been developed, giving us the 7,000 varieties in the market today.
About 80 million tons of apples are grown worldwide and China produces almost half of this total. The United States is the second-leading producer, with more than 6 percent of world production. Turkey is third, followed by Italy, India and Poland.
The crabapple is actually the wild apple, source of all domestic apples grown today.
When I was a youngster, my mother would make applesauce from crabapple trees we had on the farm. She would cut the apples in half and boil them and then we’d use the applesauce extractor — a silver-coloured mill with a handle that turns and extracts the sauce from the peelings and the seeds. The crabapple sauce would ooze out in a rich, red colour. It was tasty and especially good with fried potatoes.
Dutch folks will eat applesauce (appelmoes) anywhere and anytime. It’s a national staple and great care is taken to extract the flavours from various types of apples.
You must never let the apples become pulpy. The best applesauce is made from good firm apples.
Here’s how my mom did it: Cut the apples in quarters and cut away the core. Don’t waste time peeling the apples. After washing the quarters, place them into large pots and add just enough water to cover the bottom. Add a dusting of cinnamon on top of the apples and you can add a lemon peeling or two, (don’t add sugar), bring them to a boil, reduce the heat and cover them with a lid. Boil the apples gently until the apples are tender, stirring occasionally. Make sure the apples don’t burn. Watch them closely.
When they’re ready, dump them into a large pail-size container. Set the applesauce extractor on a large bowl or a pot — something that fits. Take a large ladle and fill the extractor about three-quarters full and turn the handle round and round. The pure applesauce comes out the bottom. Turn the handle the opposite way a few times to get all the apples squashed and empty the remainder (skins and seeds) into a waste pail. Then fill up again and again. The only waste you’ll have is the peelings and the seeds.
