Apple Season in America
Apples
are the second most valuable fruit crop in the United States, after
oranges. Autumn is a time when fresh apples are everywhere. They are not
native to the country. Research shows that apples came from Central
Asia. But they are believed to have been grown in America since the
early sixteen hundreds.
Washington State, in the Pacific Northwest, produces the country’s
biggest apple crop. New York and Michigan are also big producers. Among
nations, China is the biggest grower followed by the United States and
Turkey.
This year, American growers expected to harvest nearly four thousand
five hundred million kilograms of apples. That is a little less than
last year’s record harvest.
Apples are a member of the rose family. Apples come in reds, greens and
yellows. About two thousand five hundred kinds grow in the United
States. Three times that number are grown around the world.
The University of Illinois Extension service says one hundred varieties
are grown most commonly in the United States. The most popular are the
Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith.
In the United States, three fourths of apples are eaten fresh. Some are
made into sweet foods like apple pie. The rest are processed to make
products such as apple juice, apple cider, apple sauce and vinegar.
A popular saying goes: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Apples
are a healthy food. For one thing, they are high in fiber, mainly in the
skin.
Apple trees flower in late spring. Late blossoming avoids freezing
weather. So farmers can grow apples farther north than most other
fruits. In North America, apples can be gown in all fifty states and
Canada.
Johnny Appleseed was born in Massachusetts in seventeen seventy-four. He
grew apple trees on land he owned in Ohio and Indiana. He traveled with
settlers as they moved West. He supplied them with apple seeds and young
trees and, it is said, religion.
Johnny Appleseed was an early American hero. His real name was John
Chapman. Americans might not know the story of John Chapman, but almost
everyone has heard of Johnny Appleseed. He introduced apple trees to
farming areas in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. VOA Special English
Agriculture Report
Written by Mario Ritter
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