An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (Malus domestica). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus Malus. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, is still found. Apples have been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Europe and were introduced to North America by European colonists. Apples have religious and mythological significance in many cultures, including Norse, Greek, and European Christian tradition.
Apples grown from seed tend to be very different from those of their parents, and the resultant fruit frequently lacks desired characteristics. Generally, apple cultivars are propagated by clonal grafting onto rootstocks. Apple trees grown without rootstocks tend to be larger and much slower to fruit after planting. Rootstocks are used to control the speed of growth and the size of the resulting tree, allowing for easier harvesting.
There are more than 7,500 cultivars of apples. Different cultivars are bred for various tastes and uses, including cooking, eating raw, and cider production. Trees and fruit are prone to fungal, bacterial, and pest problems, which can be controlled by a number of organic and non-organic means. In 2010, the fruit's genome was sequenced as part of research on disease control and selective breeding in apple production.
Worldwide production of apples in 2021 was 93 million tonnes, with China accounting for nearly half of the total.
The word apple, whose Old English ancestor is æppel, is descended from the Proto-Germanic noun *aplaz, descended in turn from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ébōl.
The apple is a deciduous tree, generally standing 6 to 15 ft tall in cultivation and up to 30 ft in the wild. When cultivated, the size, shape and branch density are determined by rootstock selection and trimming method. The leaves are alternately arranged dark green-colored simple ovals with serrated margins and slightly downy undersides.
Blossoms are produced in spring simultaneously with the budding of the leaves and are produced on spurs and some long shoots. The 1 to 11⁄2 inches flowers are white with a pink tinge that gradually fades, five petaled, with an inflorescence consisting of a cyme with 4–6 flowers. The central flower of the inflorescence is called the "king bloom"; it opens first and can develop a larger fruit.
The fruit is a pome that matures in late summer or autumn, and cultivars exist in a wide range of sizes. Commercial growers aim to produce an apple that is 23⁄4 to 31⁄4 inches in diameter, due to market preference. Some consumers, especially in Japan, prefer a larger apple, while apples less than 21⁄4 inches are generally used for juicing and have little fresh market value. The skin of ripe apples is red, yellow, green, pink, or russetted, though many bi- or tri-colored cultivars may be found. The skin may also be wholly or partly russeted i.e. rough and brown. The skin is covered in a protective layer of epicuticular wax. The exocarp (flesh) is generally pale yellowish-white, though pink, yellow or green exocarps also occur.
Winter apples, picked in late autumn and stored just above freezing, have been an important food in Asia and Europe for millennia. Of the many Old World plants that the Spanish introduced to Chiloé Archipelago in the 16th century, apple trees became particularly well adapted. Apples were introduced to North America by colonists in the 17th century, and the first apple orchard on the North American continent was planted in Boston by Reverend William Blaxton in 1625. The only apples native to North America are crab apples, which were once called "common apples".
Crops ripen at different times of the year according to the cultivar. Cultivar that yield their crop in the summer include 'Gala', 'Golden Supreme', 'McIntosh', 'Transparent', 'Primate', 'Sweet Bough', and 'Duchess'; fall producers include 'Fuji', 'Jonagold', 'Golden Delicious', 'Red Delicious', 'Chenango', 'Gravenstein', 'Wealthy', 'McIntosh', 'Snow', and 'Blenheim'; winter producers include 'Winesap', 'Granny Smith', 'King', 'Wagener', 'Swayzie', 'Greening', and 'Tolman Sweet'.
Production
World production of apples in 2021 was 93 million tonnes, with China producing 49% of the total (table). Secondary producers were the United States and Turkey.
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 (8-ounce) packages sliced fresh mushrooms
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 (10-3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 (5-ounce) can chow mein noodles (2 cups)
- Preheat oven to 350º. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add red bell pepper, garlic, and mushrooms; saute until tender.
- Stir in chopped green onions and next 5 ingredients.
- Pour into a lightly greased 7- x 11-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with chow mein noodles. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes or until bubbly.
****Don't worry if you don't have the exact ingredients on hand. You can substitute green bell pepper for the red, cream of chicken soup for mushroom soup, and chopped cooked pork for the chicken. And if you have canned mushrooms in your pantry, 2 (4.5-ounce) cans substitute nicely for the fresh. Just drain 'em-there's no need to saute!
And gave her mother forty whacks
When she saw what she had done
She gave her father forty-one"
1945 – Anne Murray, Canadian singer and guitarist
Each year on June 20th, National American Eagle Day honors our national symbol, raising awareness for protecting the Bald Eagle. The day also encourages the recovery of their natural environments while providing educational outreach.
The Bald Eagle is both the national bird and the national animal of The United States of America and appears on its Seal.
In the latter 20th century, the Bald Eagle hovered on the brink of extinction in the continental United States. Eventually, populations recovered and on July 12, 1995, the species was removed from the U.S. Federal Government’s List of Endangered Species and transferred to the List of Threatened Species. In June of 2007, as the species continued to thrive, the American Eagle was withdrawn from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in the Lower 48 States.
EAGLE HABITAT AND FACTS
The Bald Eagle’s range includes most of Canada, Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. They nest near large bodies of open water where abundant food supplies and old-growth trees abound.
Opportunistic feeders, Bald Eagles survive mainly on fish, swooping down and snatching them from the water. Their nests are the largest nests of any North American bird and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species. The largest recorded eagle’s nest was found in St. Petersburg, Florida. It measured 9.5 feet in diameter and 20 feet deep and weighed in at nearly 3 tons.
These majestic raptors tally up quite a list of facts. A fully grown female Bald Eagle has a wingspan of 7 feet and weighs 7 to 15 pounds. Male eagles are slightly smaller. They also mate for life and live between 20-30 years. As a power bird of prey, an eagle’s sharp sense of sight joins powerful muscles, piercing talons, and beak, making them primed for the hunt.
Although the raptor is also known as the Bald Eagle, the name derives from an older meaning of “white-headed.” The bird isn’t bald at all. The adult eagle is mainly brown with a white head and tail.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL AMERICAN EAGLE DAY
Join the celebration by learning more about the American Eagle. Whether you visit a nature preserve or learn about conservation, be sure to invite someone to join you. You can also learn about the American Eagle in other ways, too:
- Reading books about the Bald Eagle such as The Eagles Are Back by Jean Craighead George or Bald Eagles: Their Life and Behavior in North America by Art Wolfe.
- Watching documentaries about this majestic raptor, like National Geographic’s Bald Eagle – Nature’s Largest Raptors.
- Listening to a podcast about the American Eagle.
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- Going bird watching and bring your camera – you may be able to capture some spectacular images of the eagle soaring above you.
- Learning about conservation efforts.
NATIONAL AMERICAN EAGLE DAY HISTORY
The American Eagle Foundation sponsors National American Eagle Day to raise awareness about the American Eagle, its habitats, and conservation efforts. For more information, visit www.eagles.org.
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