With Labor Day gone, apple season has officially arrived. And with it we can almost taste the crisp, juicy apples. Let’s go back in time for a bit to see what influenced apple production in America. Remember Johnny Appleseed?
Was there really such a man as Johnny Appleseed? He has become immortalized in song and story as a dedicated tree planter. It was said he traveled on foot through the hills and valleys of the eastern part of our country planting apple seeds.
John Chapman, who later became the well-known Johnny Appleseed, was born in 1774 in Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War. He had an early love of nature and would often escape from the household of ten children to the quiet of the woods.
He set out as soon as he could to explore the vast wilderness to the west. He befriended the early settlers and the Indians, as well as the squirrels and bears and all sorts of animals. He always carried in his pocket a pouch of apple seeds.
Here is a recipe that uses apples which may have come from the early work of this man who is a beloved American figure.
2 cooking apples
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons raisins
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have ready an 8 x 8-inch baking pan or 4 custard cups.
2. Cut apples in half lengthwise (core to stem) and remove core but do not peel.
3. Lay the apples skin side down (cavity up) on baking pan or custard cups. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Spoon raisins into center of each. Pour orange juice over apples and water around apples.
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until apples are tender but still hold their shape.
Recipe is from my new children’s apple cookbook:
Healthy to the Core! All Natural Low Sugar/No Sugar Apple Recipes for Kids
- At this moment this book is #91 in Amazon’s Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Teen Health
Apple season is officially here!
Best to you and your family,
Lee Jackson, author
http://www.ImagesUnlimitedPublishing.com
