An apple a day...
Cool temperatures, coloured leaves
and crisp apples are sure signs of autumn. Though apples are available year
round from various parts of the world, the peak harvest time locally is now.
Enjoy the season's best picks with this guide.
Nutrition in every bite: Apples are filled with beneficial
plant compounds called phytonutrients. Apples are a source of vitamin C and
are fat free. On top of that, apples are a delicious source of fibre, especially
if you leave the skins on, which contain roughly 1/3 of the fruit's fibre. And
choose an apple over apple juice more often. You would have to drink 13 cups
of apple juice to get the same amount of fibre found in just one medium-sized
apple with the skin on.
Fresh and tasty: To keep apples crisp and flavourful, store
them in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper. Forget about leaving
apples in your fruit bowl on the kitchen counter – they'll soften 10 times
faster.
Take your pick: Making apple
pudding, apple
crisp, or just grabbing an apple on the go? Pick the right apple for the
job. Here's a list of 10 Canadian-grown apples and how to best enjoy them.
• Cortland:
a blushed red apple with white flesh that doesn't turn brown easily, making
it excellent for salads.
• Gala: with
bright orangey-red skin and a mild, sweet flavour, Galas are best for eating
straight out of the fridge.
• Golden Delicious:
you can spot a Delicious apple by the bumps on the bottom; this all-purpose
greenish-yellow apple is terrific for snacking, salads and baking.
• Honeycrisp:
one of the sweetest and crispiest apples around, Honeycrisps are bright red
and perfect for fresh eating, salads and baking.
• Empire: the
best way to enjoy these dark red apples is to eat them fresh.
• McIntosh:
round and red with a green tinge, “Macs” have a tart white taste
and turn brown easily, so eat them fresh or use them for applesauce.
• Idared: excellent
for pies and baking, and great for salads and snacking.
• Northern Spy:
considered the number-one baking apple and they're perfect for pies.
• Red Delicious:
with its distinctive bumps on the bottom, these apples have a crisp, greenish
cream-coloured flesh that's best for fresh eating.
• Spartan:
round, dark red apples that are wonderful in salads, applesauce and for fresh
eating.
Whether you have a favourite type, or choose a different one every day, enjoy
apples often as part of a healthy, balanced diet.