Falling for fiber!

 Falling for fiber 

With fall in sight, now is the perfect time to search for your nearest apple orchard and find some good fresh apples! The end of September is the perfect time for this fun fall activity because it is peak apple harvest season spanning from mid September to the end of October. 

Apples are a great fruit for the fall because of their autumnal smell but also their crisp taste in some amazing recipes. If you eat them with the skin on they provide about 4-5 g of fiber per day which is about 15% of your daily fiber intake! It provides antioxidants, polyphenols, acts as a prebiotic, and are perfect for fall recipes! No wonder why they say an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

As a way to say hello to fall, try adding an apple into your fruit rotation a couple times a week. You can have them as a snack, put them in oatmeal, and pair them with peanut butter whatever might satisfy your fall favorites! Ask yourself could I add an apple to this rotation? Here are a few recipes and ideas that can help and some apples that might fit a specific taste profile you are looking for!

Types of apples: 

Honey crisp: sweet but tart and juicy

Gala: sweet and crisp 

McIntosh: tangy, tart and tender

Fuji: sweet and crunchy 

Golden delicious: mellow, sweet flavor, tender

Red delicious: deep red, mildly sweet, sometimes bitter

Pink lady: Crisp with a sweet and tart flavor.

Granny smith: tart, sour, and firm 

Sauteed apple topping: Sauteeing apples down to make them soft and tender while adding things like cinnamon, maple syrup, honey, brown sugar can really come out to be a really great addition to yogurt bowls, oatmeal, or even just on their own. You can even add in your choice of nut or even granola to give it some texture when deciding to just eat them alone! 

Apples and cheese: Pairing apples with cheese is the perfect balance of sweet and savory. Gouda, brie, and even feta and goat cheese are often cheeses utilized when eaten together. The soft aspects of this cheese is what makes them so great. The texture of the crisp apple with the warm notes of the cheese really pull this pair together as a hardy snack! Adding these to a 

Baked apple crisp: At my food service rotation, we did recipe testing and one of the recipes consisted of baked apples, which turned out great. By coring out the middle of an apple and leaving some left at the bottom so nothing leaks out during cooking, adding brown sugar, a little butter, and some cinnamon really have made the apple soak up these ingredients and become the perfect baked apple. 

Apple cinnamon muffins: Adding fresh apples to different baked goods like muffins, apple cake, scones, quick breads, and more can often add a fun twist to your fall favorites. These can be baked first and then added to these items or even added raw. Either way this is a good way to include apples to whatever you are making 

Home made apple sauce and cider: Apple sauce and cider are some non traditional items you can make with apples which happen to be fairly easy. Adding different spices and experimenting with different recipes for these delicacies can be a fun new way to perfect your fall line up when it comes to things to make! 

Fruit salad: At first I thought how awesome green salads are with apples sprinkled on top but then I thought of a way to elevate the fruit aspect to make a fruit salad for increased antioxidants as the season changes. 

-EN