Information for ingredient: apple (small)

The apple is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits. Nowadays, apple production is split into dessert apples, cooking apples, and cider apples.

Unfortunately, in modern times, desired qualities in commercial apple production are not only a colourful skin, but also absence of russeting, ease of shipping, lengthy storage ability, high yields, disease resistance, typical Red Delicious apple shape, long stem (to allow pesticides to penetrate the top of the fruit), and popular flavour (sweet and soft, but crisp).

Due to these standards, the older varieties (which are often oddly shaped, russeted, and come in a variety of textures and colours), are considered commercially unviable, and are only available locally, Luckily, conservation campaigns have sprung up around the world to preserve such local cultivars from extinction.

The apple tree originated from Asia, where its wild ancestor is still found today, in the mountains of Central Asia in Southern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Xinjiang, China.

The center of diversity of the apple tree is Eastern Turkey and Southwestern Russia region of Asia Minor. The apple tree was perhaps the earliest tree to be cultivated, and their fruits were improved through selection over a period of thousands of years by early farmers.

Apple trees in orchards are usually kept low in height (so-called dwarf trees), which makes harvesting much easier.

Commercial mature trees bear 40–200 kg of apples each year, though productivity can be close to zero in poor years. Dwarf trees will bear about 10–80 kg of fruit per year

Apples are self-sterile. They must cross-pollinate to develop fruit. Should you have an apple tree in your garden, it will only flower and produce apples if there is another apple tree in the vicinity, and if the tree is pollinated by bees.

Depending on the climate in which the apple tree is growing, there are different pollination groups, but mainly, the pollinating season falls into the month of May.

Apples should be stored in a cool, dark place. Apples used to be stored in cellars, where they would stay fresh throughout the winter.

Nowadays, for home storage, most varieties of apple can be stored for approximately two weeks (when kept at the coolest part of the refrigerator).

For commercial purposes apples are stored in large refridgerated storgae halls, where humidity and temperature are closely monitored. Apples are available year-round from locally stored reserves.

Except being eaten fresh, apples can be canned, juiced, and optionally fermented to produce apple juice, cider, and vinegar.

Apples are an important ingredient in many winter desserts, caramelized, they make a sweet treat, they are often eaten baked or stewed, and they can also be dried and eaten. Puréed apples are generally known as apple sauce. Apples are also made into apple butter and apple jelly. They are also used (cooked) in meat dishes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple