Word of the Week
Dehydrate (dee-hi-dr-ate): To remove water from something, like a food. It comes from the Greek words de- meaning "the removal" and hydor meaning "water."
Yassou!
Thursday, October 21st is Apple Day! The holiday was created in 1990 in London, but is now celebrated in countries around the world. Really, the entire month of October celebrates apples. Picking your own apples is a great fall activity, and there couldn't be a better time!
So, what's your favorite kind of apple? I'm sure you've heard of Honey Crisps, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith. The overall favorite apple variety in the United States is the Gala. I would be shocked if you haven't tasted one. While they are delicious, I have a soft spot for Pink Ladies. They're sweet with a hint of tart, and their color is just as pretty as their name!
Apple Facts:
Apples and roses are in the same family!
The average apple tree produces over 800 pounds of apples. WOW.
There are more than 8,000 varieties.
2,500 varieties exist in the United States, but only the crab apple is native.
Apple trees live for roughly 100 years.
The Granny Smith apple was actually named after a real Granny Smith in the 1800s in Australia. It continues to be the staple apple for baking apple pies because of its tartness.
It takes 5-8 years before an apple tree grows big enough to produce fruit.
You need roughly 36 apples to make a gallon of apple cider!
Apple juice was one of the earliest prescribed anti-depressants.
Apples float in water because they're 25% air!
You can celebrate this delicious and nutritious fruit by going apple picking, eating an apple, making an apple pie, bobbing for apples, etc. The list goes on! But. . .have you ever dehydrated your own apple and created your very own apple character? Creepy and neat, right?!
Carving your Character:
Peel an apple.
With adult supervision or assistance, carve a face into your apple. If available, put cloves in the eyes.
Cover your apple head with lemon juice and a good sprinkle of salt. (You may choose to treat it by sprinkling it with citric acid instead.)
Set aside and watch as it dries out and wrinkles up!
Too excited to wait? To speed up the process, you can place it on parchment paper and pop it in the oven at the lowest temperature setting. Keep a careful watch and remove when it begins to shrivel up!
Have fun, and don't forget to name your creation! I've called mine Alberto the Apple.
Until next time. . .
Gram