There is always so much to learn about apples! I am constantly amazed at the rich and varied history that is contained in our orchard! I Was wondering about the health benefits today and found this wonderful article. This is from the conclusion of the paper:
“In numerous epidemiological studies, apples have been associated with a decreased risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and asthma. In vitro and animal studies have demonstrated that apples have high antioxidant activity, can inhibit cancer cell proliferation, decrease lipid oxidation, and lower cholesterol, potentially explaining their role in reducing risk of chronic disease.”
The whole paper is fascinating and worth reading. I can’t help but think about the variation in health benefits of the different varieties of apples that the authors tested. It makes me wonder what could be found if all 1500 varieties in our orchard were tested!
Please take a look at the paper and let us know what you think.
http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-3-5.pdf
I can’t believe the fabulous varieties you have! would love to take a trip up to Michigan and bring them back. Folks here in Ga would love them too. Hopefully you can keep on saving these antique varieties with more people knowing about them.
What are Red Butterscotch? Sounds awesome!!
thanks for sharing these historic apples.
Shelly
Shelly
Thanks for your commit! We just finished our last farmers market for this year. It has been an extraordinary year as we have had more varieties fruit than ever before. We have finished picking and do not have any storage ability so will be closing Nov. 1 This is our description for
Red Butterscotch
Parentage: Unknown
Origin: Unknown
Uses: Baking Eating, Pies, Salads.
Description: Beautiful apple that is big some years, small on other years. Can be described as loppy. Beautiful color of an orange-maroon mix. Noticeable dots. The flesh is firm and sweet. Does very well at tastes tests and is popular at the farm markets. Some say they detect a hint of butterscotch in the flavor. A good keeper. Ripens Late September or later.
Thanks
The Ward’s