Did you know there are more than 7 500 varieties of apples, with the Granny Smith, also known as the green apple, being the most popular?
Cape Town – Did you know that there are more than 7 500 types of apples? How many varieties have you eaten so far? See? You still have a lot of apples to eat.
Join apple lovers around the world on October 21, try something new, like a super crispy, bright yellow, non-browning apple known as Opal.
Zizipho Ntozakhe Dube, a quality inspector at the Perishable Products Export Control Board market in Grabouw, which is the second largest area to produce apples after Ceres in the Western Cape, said that apple consumption, rich in antioxidants, can reduce the risk of diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
Dube said that the most popular apple is Granny Smith, which originated in Australia in 1868 and was created by Maria Smith. That’s why it’s called Granny Smith.
Dube shares fascinating facts for kids about apples, the first of which is that it takes apple trees four to five years to bear their first fruit.
Apples are a member of the rose family of fruits, and 4 litres of apple cider are made from 36 apples.
“If mom and dad drink the entire 4 litres of apple cider, that means they have consumed 36 apples,” added Dube.
Apples can ripen up to 10 times more quickly at room temperature.
A single apple once weighed 4 pounds, 1 ounce. Apple seeds contain cyanide, so eating a lot of them will make you sick.
“Can you float like an apple? Apples are 25% air, so they can float,” added Dube.
Dube said that kids should try Apple Day activities, such as going on orchard tours and seeing various stages of the apple’s development.
“For instance, one year they can have an apple tour when apple trees are flowering, the next year they can have a tour when it’s producing fruits, and the following year they can have a tour when it’s ready for harvest,” said Dube.
Children can be taught that apples taste different and that some, like the Fuji apple, are sweeter than others, or even pick ripe apples by hand to bring home.
Additionally, Dube said that apples contain potassium, vitamin C, carbohydrates, fibre, and antioxidants.
“Children can be taught that the apple’s peels contain all of the fruit's nutrients and that they shouldn’t peel the fruit, or eat the seeds because they may be poisonous,” said Dube.
Dube, who holds an Honours degree in project management and a degree in agricultural management, said that kids should be aware of the existence of the field of pomology, which entails studying the anatomy of apples and can lead to a career as a pomologist.
Take advantage of the wonderful world of apples and promote sustainable agriculture by taking part in Apple Day.
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