When the air begins to feel crisp we are reminded that Fall is upon us, and that can only mean its apple picking time! It is also the time for the other related goodies to America’s second most valuable fruit (after oranges) to come along as well: apple cider, apple pie, and apple turnovers, just to name e few. I can’t wait to taste them all as soon as the season rolls around. Many local orchards are open for picking apples as well as taking hay rides, getting lost in a corn maze, and in some places, trying apple doughnuts!
With all that is going on in THASC artist William Evans’ painting “RED APPLE”, from the lovely vase to the colorful ferns and mushroom ornaments to the black and white checkered scarf, the focus is still drawn to the simple red delicious apple perfectly placed at the base of the left side of the vase. That is what he wants us to see the most amidst his extravagant background: the basic fruit of life. It invites us to take that first succulent bite! The red delicious variety is my favorite type as depicted above. Did you know it is the most widely grown variety in the U.S. with 62 million bushels harvested in 2005?
Here are ten other interesting facts about apples that might interest you:
- Two pounds of apples makes one 9” pie.
- 2,500 varieties are grown in the U.S. while 7,500 varieties are grown throughout the world.
- Apples are fat, sodium and cholesterol free.
- The pilgrims planted the first United States apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
- Most apples are still picked by hand in the fall.
- World’s top apple producers are China, United States, Turkey, Poland and Italy.
- Archeologists have found evidence that humans have been enjoying apples since at least 6500 BC.
- It takes about 36 apples to create 1 gallon of apple cider.
- Don’t peel your apple. Two-thirds of the fiber and lots of antioxidants are found in the peel.
- The old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” comes from an old English adage: “To eat an apple before going to bed, will make the doctor beg his bread.”
William Evans gives us a wonderful inspiration through his painting for the consumption of apples. You can order his cards and many others at www.thasc.com and you can join me every Tuesday and Thursday for a new blog at http://www.preciousartbypreciouspeople.org
Please take a minute to comment on the blog after reading, I enjoy hearing from you.
Have a pleasant holiday weekend and how about trying some apple picking for a change!
See you next Tuesday, October 13, 2015.