There are over 7,500 varieties of apples grown across the world. Some Wisconsin favorites include Gala, McIntosh, Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, and Cortland.

Apples were used as symbols of love in ancient Rome and Greece.

Wisconsin orchards produce over 49 million pounds of apples each year.

Nutrition and Seasonality

Key Nutrients

Fiber – Keeps digestion running smoothly.
Vitamin C – Helps wounds heal, is important for the immune system, and is an antioxidant, which protects cells from damage.
Potassium – Helps maintain normal blood pressure.

Seasonality

In Wisconsin, apples are typically ripening and ready to pick in late August through October.

Trying New Foods

Children are more likely to try new foods if they help prepare them.

Children can help prepare homemade applesauce by mashing the cooked apples.

Apple Recipes

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Select: Choose firm apples with smooth and shiny skin.
Store: Refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 3 weeks.
Prepare: Eat whole or sliced. Leave on the skin for extra nutrients!

Add Apples to Your Favorite Family Meals

Mix apple chunks into your hot cereal.
Pair apple slices with cheese.
Add thin apple slices to chicken salad or peanut butter sandwich.

Books

Apples by Gail Gibbons
Applesauce Season by Eden Ross Lipson
How do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman
Apples, Apples, Apples by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins
The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall
Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington

Family Fun: Apple Taste Test

Gather a few apples of different colors, shapes, and sizes. Ask your child how the apples are the same and different. Encourage your child to use their five senses to look at, smell, touch, taste, and hear the crunch of the apples. Share the name of each one. Which apple is his or her favorite today? Use the extra apples to make homemade applesauce!

Garden Connection

Planting

Apples grow into trees from seeds or from a technique called grafting, where a branch of one apple tree is attached to another tree. Grafting allows farmers to experiment with growing different varieties of apples. Growing apples requires planting more than one variety for pollination. You also need patience because apple trees take four or five years to produce their first fruit!

Harvesting

Apple harvest occurs in the fall. When selecting apples that are already picked, choose firm, shiny, smooth-skinned apples with intact stems. Apples should smell fresh, not musty.