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Apples to Apples - Unusual Fruits and Recipes
A Barrel of Cider Apples
How many varieties of apples do we have in North America? -- Many more than we enjoyed at the turn of the century! Farmers and food researchers are busy developing new variety and tastes of apples so that we may have longer lasting, easier to store, more nutritious and more flavorful fruits.
Johnny Appleseed, who is commemorated by an Ohio museum, spread apple seeds across the Midwestern states and Kentucky during the 1800s, but the fact is little known that the resulting apples from his single-handed planting of orchards were hard-cider apples,good for making the alcoholic cider, but not for eating, cooking, or baking. However, the cider was good for selling and brought new business into the communities that possessed the orchards.
Later on, farmers and scientists were able to cultivate new varieties of apples from Johnny's fruit, making dozens of good apple varieties for eating and cooking today.
From there, orchard-men and later, agricultural scientists, began creating new varieties of fruit from Johnny Appleseed's stock.
"Revenoors" Chopped Down The Cider Apple.
When Prohibition disallowed alcoholic beverages across America in 1920, our cider apple orchards were abandoned by owners, destroyed and replaced by Red Delicious apple trees and a few other eating apples, or harshly chopped down by FBI agents.
Johnny Appleseed's work was nearly ruined in the US, but England remained a bastion of cider making..
Some Apples Are Not Apples
In the 1800s, many in the United States and its territories believed the story that the tomato is poisonous. These folks also called the fruit "love apples." Whether or not love is poisonous, Ohio's City of Reynoldsburg was one of the first in America to throw away the story and begin annual tomato festivals with many good dishes to sample.
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In modern interesting foods, we have custard apples and hedge apples, one of which is delicious, but one of which is not even food.
Custard Apple Scenes
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Positive Effects Against Cancer
Several clinical trials are ongoing with "Annonaceous" species like the "Asimina triloba" pawpaw at the Nevada Cancer Clinic. Early outcomes are positive! For some pawpaw recipes, see http://hub.me/a3eyM
Cook Time for Sugar Apple or Custard Apple Dessert
- 2 Cups Sugar Apple Pulp
- 3 cans Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1.5 Cups White Sugar, adjust sweetness as desired.
- 3 Tablespoons Chopped or Slivered Almonds
- 1 tsp Cardamon
- In a large pot on the stove top over medium high heat, boil the sweetened condense milk for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add sugar and stir well, until dissolved.
- Turn off the burner FIRST and then add the fruit pulp, so as not to scorch it. Remove from burner, stir contents of pot, and allow to cool to room temperature on the counter.
- Refrigerate two hours, or until well chilled.
- Spoon into servings bowls and enjoy with your own favorite toppings of dark or golden raisins, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, or more nuts - hazelnuts are good.
Rate Our Recipe
Nutritious, Delicious, Healthy
The custard apple is on-fat, low salt, and a very good source of protein, but it also supplies 93% of the daily requirement of Vitamin C for adults.
Sugar Apple or Custard Apple
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 1 Medium Sized Fruit | |
| Calories | 150 |
| Calories from Fat | 0 |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Fat 0 g | |
| Saturated fat 0 g | |
| Unsaturated fat 0 g | |
| Carbohydrates 37 g | 12% |
| Sugar 0 g | |
| Fiber 7 g | 28% |
| Protein 32 g | 64% |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | |
| Sodium 14 mg | 1% |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
How To Grow Sugar Apple (Sweetsop) Via a Container or Terrace Garden
An Apple From Texas
The hedge apple came from East Texas sometime before 1400 AD, but spread around the area as Native North Americans began to use its wood, and then the trees spread to the Midwest. In the Plains States especially, the tree is planted as a wind break in a long, tall hedge.
Hedge Apple Christmas Trees
The hedge apple is a bumpy, knobby fruit that grows on the Osage Orange or Osage Apple tree.The tree was well known to the Osage Native American Nation, who along with the Comanche Nation, carved excellently strong and accurate bows from the wood for weapons.
The wood of the tree is excellent for making strong fences, specifically on farms and ranches. Many archers claim that the wood makes the finest, strongest bows as well.
Some livestock species will eat the hedge apple, also called the "horse apple", but the fruit can be very bad tasting to humans.Some people have reported that the juice from the fruit burns their hands. However, some work is being done in processing the oils of the fruit for beauty products and at least one clinical trial has used hedge apples in investigations of preventing and curing cancer - the results are not yet published.
For the most part, Midwestern residents use the hedge apple ("spider apple") to scare off spiders with its aroma and oils. In fact, one of our new large bridges in the Downtown Columbus development in Ohio is packed with spiders suddenly and we might use hedge apples to move them out and lessen their concentration at the one site.
Other innovative people have used hedge apples for building decorative Christmas Trees for centerpieces (see attached photo).
Apples to Apples
What Apple Would You Prefer?
Build a Strong Osage Apple Wood Bow
Osage Nation Native North American
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© 2015 Patty Inglish MS
