Autumn Means it’s Apple Season

It’s apple time, with a fresh crop appearing in markets
everywhere. The apple is one of the most notorious fruits in the
Western world, taking the rap for Adam and Eve’s fall from
grace.
It’s apple time, with a fresh crop appearing in markets everywhere. The apple is one of the most notorious fruits in the Western world, taking the rap for Adam and Eve’s fall from grace. Yet, when I checked in my King James  version of the Bible, I discovered that Genesis does not actually say that Eve ate an apple. The tree from which she ate is referred to as “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

One theory as to why the apple gets the rap is from the Web site AnswersinGenesis.org: “The Latin word for evil is ‘malum,’ and the Latin word for apple is also malum. … In the fourth century AD, the word malum appeared in the Latin Vulgate translation of Genesis in the phrase ‘the tree of knowledge of good and evil.’ From that time on, people began to associate the apple with the fruit that Eve ate.”

The Grace Cathedral Web site suggests that the fruits in the Garden of Eden were more likely to be apricots, pomegranates, or figs than apples, and Genesis does specifically name fig leaves as the coverings that Adam and Eve made for themselves.

By the time of the Song of Solomon, the apple had been rehabilitated into one of its most sensual incarnations: “As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. … Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love.”

The apple also figures in ancient Celtic, Greek and Roman traditions, not to mention as the name of the Beatles’ record company and the company that brought us the Mac and the iPod. (When I Googled “apple lore,” I got more citations for computers than for fruit.)

The persistence of the apple in history and folklore may well be thanks to its many positive features as a food: It is flavorful, durable and versatile. A perfect, self-contained snack on its own, it complements recipes for salads, main courses, quick breads and desserts.

Grab an  apple to munch (wash it off first, even if it’s organic, to rid it of dust and the fingerprints of other shoppers …) while you consider these ideas.

Gingered Fruit Salad

(from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book)

4 servings

lemon juice

2 cups cubed cantaloupe

1 medium orange, peeled and sectioned

1 medium apple, cored and coarsely chopped

1 medium peach, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced

1 cup blueberries

1/2 cup halved strawberries

1 8-ounce carton fruit-flavored or vanilla yogurt

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoons grated fresh ginger or 1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Lettuce leaves (optional)

Step 1: Prepare a bowl with water and lemon juice to keep the apple and peach from turning brown after cutting, while you prepare other ingredients.

Step 2: Combine fruits in a large bowl, and stir gently to mix.

Step 3: For dressing, stir together yogurt, mayonnaise, brown sugar and ginger. Line four salad plates with lettuce leaves. Divide fruit among plates. Top each serving with dressing.

Slow Cooker Pork with Apples

(adapted from SavingDinner.com)

4 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1  1/2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 polish sausage, sliced

1 medium green pepper, seeded, de-ribbed and chopped

15-ounce canned tomatoes with juice

1/2 cup chicken broth

3/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes

1 small onion, chopped

1 medium rib celery, chopped

1 medium apple, peeled, seeded and chopped

Step 1: In a skillet, heat olive oil. Salt and pepper the pork cubes, and brown evenly on all sides.

Step 2: Place browned pork on bottom of slow cooker, then add remaining ingredients.

Step 3: Cover and cook on low for about 7 hours.

If this recipe for Apple Bread looks familiar, it may be because it’s zucchini bread with apple instead of zucchini. You can also use a combination, using 1 cup of grated produce, total.

Apple Bread

(from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book)

1 loaf  

1 1/2 c flour

1 t cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 beaten egg

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup finely grated apple

1/4 cup oil

1/4 teaspoon finely shredded lemon zest

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2: Grease the bottom of a loaf pan.

Step 3: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Make a well in the middle of the mixture.

Step 4: In another bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add to the flour mixture, and stir until just mixed.

Step 5: Pour into pan and bake 55-60 minutes at 350 degrees until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Cinnamon Apple Crisp

(from Epicurious.com)

serves 10

1 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

3 1/2 pounds Fuji or Jonagold apples, peeled, cored, sliced

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Step 1: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter 13-inch-by-9-inch-by-2-inch glass baking dish.

Step 2: Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in large bowl. Add apples, and toss to coat. Transfer apple mixture to prepared dish.

Step 3: Combine flour, 1 cup sugar and butter in medium bowl. Using pastry blender or fingertips, blend ingredients until coarse meal forms. Spread flour mixture evenly over apples.

Step 4: Bake crisp 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake crisp until apples are tender and topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Elizabeth Gage is a writer who lives in Hollister. She can be reached at ee******@ya***.com.