TX397 mmim Iff. ifil< ■ '■ ill I mii ', -.,/ .-'^c^;.. V,.^ ,:^:^', %/ fgm * fills • <- ^ ^^•n^. •y *^ /.^v,"°o y..^.x co^.ii;v>o y.-v- ^v, The Invaluable Apple Fruit that Is Food and Medicine for Men By C. HOUSTON GOUDISS Food Advisor of The People's Home Journal; Author of "Foods that Will Win the War" and "Making the Most of Our Meat Supply"; Food Economist of national reputation \ PRIVATELY PRINTED BY THE PEOPLE'S HOME JOURNAL NEW YORK COPYRIGHT 1921 F. M. LUPTON, PUBLISHER NEW YORK m 1^1^22 ©CI.A659486 V\i> j The Invaluable Apple E, FRUIT THAT IS FOOD AND MEDICINE FOR MAN VER since the record of Eden's garden was set down in history, the apple has been one of man's , favorite fruits. In its earher forms it was small and som* — ^more like our present-day crab-apple. But someone trans- ported young trees to climes where warmer sun- glow prevailed, and the small rounds grew larger and ruddier and sweeter, though not until compara- tively recent times have such splendid specimens as now abound in almost every market been known. It is essentially a fruit of the temperate climes, miable to withstand extreme heat or cold, and in these milder zones it flourishes to such an extent that men everywhere have come to regard it as one of the necessaries among foodstuffs. Probably the ancient Romans were first to fully appreciate its value. At any rate, when they struck westward into Britain, they carried it with them and added it to the fruits of that island. In this country it has come into its own as a pre- eminent food crop. There is hardly a state which does not boast at least a fair share of good apple 3 THE INVALUABLE APPLE orchards, and in many states it ranks among the chief products. Thus, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, Missouri, Michigan, Oregon and Washington are world-famed for their fine output. A Crop of Countless Kinds / More than a thousand different varieties of apples are grown in the United States. Some of them, like the Winesap, Greening and York Im- perial are as well known as the surnames Smith and Jones. Quite a few have wide popularity — some for cooking purposes, others for eating — and there are hundreds of varieties of more or less local repu- tation. Until within fairly recent years, each community was self-supplied. The art of packing for shipment had not been developed and transportation facilities were limited. Today, with fast freight and refriger- ation, and with a system of packing which guaran- tees excellent condition, however long the journey, we find the famed varieties in every little hamlet, and when we travel abroad, in London and Paris we meet familiar names on the fruit-stands. For within the past twenty-five years the apple, marvelously improved in size, flavor and keeping qualities, has become a year-'round standard. And this is as it should be, for not in all of Nature's wide range of edibles is there a fruit more delicious or one more freighted with varied benefits for those who eat it. 4 THE INVALUABLE APPLE A Fruit That Favors Health The old saying — "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" — is familiar to everyone. It is also a well-known fact that various "fruit cures" have been and still are popular. The great Linnaeus is said to have rid himself of gout by eating plenteously of ripe cherries, and the "grape cure" has long been famous. No one has said or written much about an apple cure, probably because nearly everyone is subcon- sciously aware that apples are among the best things we can eat — as much for health as for palate satis- faction. But to limit the anti-doctor defense to one a day is a mistake. Eat at least three a day, unless you happen to be one of those rare individuals with an antipathy for this wonderful form of flavorful nutriment. Yes, eat apples at bedtime, if you choose, for it has been pretty well proved that so long as we select well- ripened ones and chew them thoroughly, they can- not fail to serve us both pleasurably and profitably. If owing to bad teeth apples cannot be well chewed they should be finely grated and combined with ground nuts, crushed bananas, coarse oatmeal, rice pudding or crumbed bread and biscuit served with cream. For old folks these ways of getting apples into the diet are invaluable. Exercise good judgment in the selection of apples to be eaten raw — some varieties are far superior to others, and some of those that cook best are poorest THE INVALUABLE APPLE to eat. But eat apples — raw and cooked — and rest assured they will do you good. Make them a regular part of the daily diet, and see how much fitter you feel! A Vehicle for Vitamines Before proceeding to tell you why the apple is such a food-blessing, let me pass along the news of their latest-found virtue. They contain vitamines ! ^ Of course, we get our largest supply of these most necessary nutritional elements from leaf vegetables and milk, but it has been found that the apple con- tains a small percentage of the antiscorbutic vita- mine — the one that serves as a preventive and re- liever of scurvy. Naturally, such a discovery adds to the glory of this commonplace fruit, and must lift it even higher in public esteem. It is a pleasant fact to remember the next time you dig your teeth into a juicy Jonathan; the next time you tell the young hopeful of the family that he — or she — can have an apple to take to school, or to eat after com- ing home from school. But, important as this discovery is, it is not in any way calculated to dull the numerous other apple virtues which have long been known to medical science and the people at large. Real Food in Fruit Form None but the most ignorant nowadays think of fruit as a tid-bit to be eaten at odd moments when one wants something tasty. Old and false notions THE INVALUABLE APPLE of its low food worth in calories have been replaced by the accurate findings of nutritional science, and its place in the diet is one of importance. A fresh, ripe apple of any of the kinds ordinarily , eaten raw contains from eight to eleven per cent of | sugar, and sugar is the very essence of energy-pro- ; ducing food. Be sure to insist, however, upon ripe- ness, for under-ripe apples contain a considerable percentage of starch which, because the flesh of the fruit is apt to be swallowed in fairly large pieces, is not easily converted in the stomach, and therefore gives rise to that form of discomfort which so dis- tressed Johnny Jones and his sister. Sue ! In pies, green apples are all right, for the heat of cooking partially converts the starch. But unless cooked, they are to be avoided. As the apple ripens, this starch content gradually disappears, and the blushing ball which tempts the eye first and then completely conquers the sense of taste is almost starch-free. Of course, the composition of apples varies as to variety, and as to the soil in which the trees grow, but this variation is not so wide as one might imag- ine, and as a whole the members of this pomaceous family present a fairly even "table of contents." The Worth Behind the Beauty It is safe to say that the fine-looking Northern ^VY y^^ ^^^ about to devour — quite as safe to speak thus of any one of a dozen well known varieties—^ . contains eighty-five per cent of water. And this/ i^ THE INVALUABLE APPLE water — refreshing and thirst-quenching — is the best you can get, for Nature takes great care in its dis- tilhng, and brings it to you in a germ-proof con- tainer, so that it is far superior to any of man's dis- tilled waters. The flushing action of water on the tissues and its furtherance of the excretion of waste products is well known, and the fruit eater secures in his fruits sufficient water to provide his require- ments in this direction. The remaining fifteen per cent of the piece of fruit is composed of sugar, crude fibre, ash, mineral salts, protein and pectose, tannin and other acids. Each of these has a part to play in the upbuilding and maintenance of the body. Each is a health- helper. Some of the valuable mineral salts are contained in the skin, so where one is willing to make the small extra effort required to thoroughly grind this outer covering in the mouth, the food value of the fruit is increased. But of late years many orchard men have taken to spraying their apple trees with poison mix- tures, to hold insect enemies at bay, and this makes it the part of wisdom to carefully wash the apple before eating it. AD authorities on diet recognize the wholesome- ness of apples. Their nutritive worth is enhanced by the ease with which they are digested by most per- sons, and further augmented by their gentle laxa- tive quality. In this connection I wish to state that even dyspeptics, who find raw apples hard to handle, 8 THE INVALUABLE APPLE can eat them stewed, not only with comfort and satisfaction, but often with highly beneficial results. The process of cooking seems to remove the last vestige of objection on the part of even the most delicate stomach. Neutralizes Acid Foods The apple contains a considerable percentage of potassium and sodium salts, excellent sources of muscular energy, and its acids, purifiers of the sys- tem, are know^n to be of marked benefit, especially to persons of sedentary habits. Indeed, it is gen- erally accepted that one of the chief points in their palatability, as well as their healthfulness, is their acid content which, becoming alkali in the body, neutralizes the acids formed by protein and carbo- hydrate foods. Aside from the sugar, the acid in apples is the dominant factor in their flavor, though the latter also is influenced by certain essential oils and ethe- real substances which, while they exist in quantities too small to be definitely measured, play an impor- tant part in the sum total of palatability and whole- someness. Malic acid is the chief acid in apples, and it is found in larger percentage in under-ripe than in the well-ripened fruit. Undoubtedly it has a salutary effect on the system when taken in such combination as the apple affords. The juice of the apple, in common with that of many other fruits, coagulates to a semi-solid state THE INVALUABLE APPLE after having been boiled a certain length of time and then allowed to stand. This is due to the pectin bodies, constituting the "pectose content," and it is this content that makes the apple such a popular fruit for jellying. Every housekeeper knows that a sour apple added to almost any fruit makes pos- sible a firm jam or jelly and the manufacturer of such products regards the apple as his best and cheapest base. The apple also contains tannin, which is a univer- sal constituent of nearly all the members of the vege- table kingdom. It is not present in such quantity as to produce bitter characteristics, but simply in suffi- cient measure to add to the flavor and palatability. So it may be seen that in the apple Nature has stored a wonderful combination of flavor, food value and health-giving properties. When this is coupled to the fact that no other fruit is so abundant, one be- gins to see why the apple industry has assumed a place of high importance. Apples Are Mild Aperients "Life is as good as the liver" is the waj^ a famous after-dinner speaker used to put it, and whoever has been conscious of a sluggish liver is well aware of the truth of this statement. No liver can long remain sluggish if apples are used freely, however, for this fruit exerts a mild aperient action which not only aids in stimulating intestinal activity but at the same time has a most beneficial influence on the organ that secretes bile. 10 THE INVALUABLE APPLE In this way it serves as an able assistant in the ehm- ination of poisons which, if allowed to remain, would cause serious trouble. It is also claimed that the eating of a ripe apple just before retiring will help to induce sleep. But here, as elsewhere, the raw apple must be well mas- ticated and the eater must possess a stomach capable of taking care of raw food. What Apples Shall We Eat Raw? As I have said before, there are two distinct classes of apples — those especially suited for cook- ing and those preferable for eating raw. As a gen- eral rule, the sour apples are best for cooking, but there are some persons who prefer their acid flavor and use them for eating. "While individual tastes differ, it may be interest- ing to note this list of excellent "raw" material in the apple line : Baldwin, Banana, Bellflower, Fallawater, None- Such, Greening, Northern Spy, Newtown Pippin, Winesap, Jonathan, Delicious, Spitzenberg, Hub- bardston and Red Astrachan. It must not be thought that all of these apples mentioned are poor cookers, or, on the other hand, that there are not many other apples which admir- ably serve the purpose of those who enjoy biting into a tempting piece of fruit. But the apples named are generally thought to possess superior eating qualities when used as they come from tree, box or barrel. 11 THE INVALUABLE APPLE For eating, an apple should be wholly ripe, but not over-ripe. The latter condition is apt to result in a mushiness which renders the fruit less palatable. And when cooked no apple ever should be over-done. The perfection of flavor is apt to be impaired or wholly lost by too long a stay on top of or within the range. Its Part in the Daily Diet l^o fruit plays quite so important a part in the daily diet, for no other fruit is capable of being served in so many different ways, and most of us recognize that the apple is a health-giver. Otherwise, there never could have come to pass such enormous production as now exists. In this country alone the average crop represents several bushels per capita, and while a large part of this enormous harvest is eaten raw, enough remains to provide an almost endless variety of cooked apple dishes. These extend from the simple stewed and baked to the ever-popular pie, and all manner of puddings and combinations. These cooked dishes include many gastronomic delights, and range through every meal. For serving alone or with meats ; for use as a sauce with fowl and game, and for an endless round of desserts nothing is so easily adaptable as the apple. For use raw in salads and sandwiches it is ideal. As a matter of fact, no other fruit so largely enters into the daily menu, and no other is more easily handled in the kitchen. \ Yet the apple is not so largely used as it should be. 12 THE INVALUABLE APPLE Grown in such large quantities as to make its price reasonable at most seasons, it should be more gen- erously employed in the food list. When consid- ered simply as something good to eat, it is deserving of wider appreciation than it receives. And when viewed in the light of a food that increases physical fitness, it makes an extra appeal. Countless Miles of Orchards If all the apple orchards in this country were strung in a straight line, they would more than reach from coast to coast, and if all the fruit grown in a single season were piled in one place, it would make a pyramid of commanding size. Of course, until we come to a better appreciation of the need for larger consumption, much of this fruit must go to waste. But for many years the practice of drying apples for winter use has ob- tained, and todaj^ many tons annually are prepared in this way. Our forefathers used to slice the apples by hand and lay them on flat stones in the sun. Nowadays the work is done by machinery, and vast quantities are thus prepared for market in modern factories and imder sanitary conditions. And dehydration is a favorite means of putting this popular fruit be- yond risk of rot or deterioration. One result of these drying processes is to largely increase the sugar content of the fruit. Where fresh apples contain 85 per cent of water and from 8 to 11 per cent of sugar, the dried article has only one- 13 THE INVALUABLE APPLE third as much water and from four to five times as much sugar. And when properly prepared, the best varieties of dried and evaporated apples compare favorably with the fresh-cooked fruit. An experi- enced cook can use them not only in pies and des- serts but as compotes and conserves to enhance the meat course. In fact, our colonial grandsires de- voured them in quantity when boiled with ham. A Fine Food Insurance Unlike grain and meat, in both of which food fields we have come near to our limit of resources, fruit — especially the apple — presents almost un- limited possibilities for the future feeding of mankind. Already it has been shown that apple orchards flourish in sections of the country where it is not easy to produce other crops. This not only makes for economy of production, but serves to release arable land for further raising of grain and stock- feeding. In other words, there are today in the United States millions of acres of land, much of it hilly, which is not available for ordinary farming, but which can easily be turned to apple orchards and with most profitable results. r So the beautiful fruit which tempts both eye and palate, and at the same time provides a wealth of nourishment and health-giving properties, may in- crease in volume as the years go on, giving us still more cause for being thankful. Meantime, we should 14 THE INVALUABLE APPLE stimulate such increased production by eating more apples, purchasing them in quantity in the early fall when our markets are glutted and when prices are low. With a little care they can be stored to last well into the winter, when city prices mount from fifty to seventy-five cents per dozen. 15 RECIPES Apples Creole Make a sirup by boiling together one and one-half cupfuls of water, one and one-half cupfuls of sugar and two cloves. Peel and core six firm tart apples and boil in the sirup until tender, about ten minutes. When the apples are tender, remove carefully from the sirup and set aside to cool. Reboil the sirup for ten minutes and pour over the apples. Heat to the boiling point three-fourths cupful of brown sugar and one-fourth cupful of water. Cook for eight minutes or until a little of the mixture forms a firm ball when dropped into cold water. After re- moving from the fire add one-half cupful of pecan nuts and beat until creamy. With this mixture fill the cavities in the apples. Serve cold with whipped cream or a custard sauce. Steamed Apple Pudding Rub together two tablespoonfuls of butter and two cupfuls of soft bread crumbs. Add one-half cupful of finely chopped apples, one-half cupful of sugar, one-eighth teaspoonful of nutmeg, the grated rinds of one lemon and one orange, and one cupful of currants washed thor- oughly. After mixing well add one tablespoonful each of lemon juice and orange juice, or two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice, and two well- beaten eggs. Pack into a greased mold, cover, and steam for two hours. Serve hot with hard sauce or fruit sauce. Jellied Apples Peel and quarter six large, tart, red apples. Place in a baking dish, adding two cupfuls of sugar dissolved in two cupfuls of boiling water. Cover the dish and bake in a slow oven until the apples are tender and colored a deep pink. Lift the apples carefully from the dish and place in a mold rinsed in cold water. Soak one and one-half tablespoonfuls of gelatine for five minutes in one-half cupful of cold water. Add to the hot apple juice and stir until the gelatine dissolves. Stir in the juices of one orange and one lemon and pour over the apples. Chill, turn out, and serve with soft custard or whipped cream. Apple Gingerbread Peel and core three large, tart apples. Cut in very thin slices and spread on the bottom of a well-greased baking dish. After melting one-third cupful of shortening in two-thirds cupful of boiling water, add one cupful of molasses and one beaten egg. Sift together two and three-fourths cupfuls of flour, one and one-half teaspoonfuls of baking soda, one-half teaspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful each of cinnamon and ginger, and one-fourth teaspoonful of cloves. Stir into the liquid mixture and beat until smooth. Pour over the apples and bake in a moderate oven for about forty minutes. Cut in squares and serve warm either plain or with a liquid sauce, hard sauce, or whipped cream. 16 THE INVALUABLE APPLE Apple Rolls Sift together two cupfuls of flour, one teaspoonful of salt and four teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Rub in four tablespoonfuls of short- ening, adding enough milk to make a soft dough. Roll on a floured board to the thickness of one-eighth inch, keeping the dough rectangu- lar in shape. Spread over it two tablespoonfuls of softened butter, one cupful of finely chopped raw apples and one-fourth cupful of sugar mixed with one teaspoonful of cinnamon. Roll the dough up tightly and cut into slices three-fourths inch thick. Place in a greased pan and bake in a hot oven for about fifteen minutes. Serve hot or cold. Apple Dumplings Sift together two cupfuls of flour, four teaspoonfuls of baking powder and one teaspoonful of salt. Rub in four tablespoonfuls of shortening, adding enough cold water or milk to make a soft dough. Roll on a floured board to the thickness of one-eighth inch, and cut in three-inch or four-inch squares. In the center of each square place an apple, cored and peeled. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and fold the ends together. After placing the dumplings in a greased baking pan pour in two-thirds cupful of boiling water, one-third cupful of sugar and two tablesponfuls of butter. Bake for forty minutes in a moderate oven, basting every ten minutes with the liquid. Serve hot with hard sauce. Apple Omelet Beat to a stiff froth the whites of four eggs. Then add the yolks of four eggs and continue beating until well mixed. Add gradually two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar. In a hot frying pan or omelet pan melt one tablespoonful of butter. Pour in the mixture and cook slowly until firm. Spread over the omelet one cupful of thick, slightly sweet- ened apple sauce, fold over, and place on a hot platter. Serve imme- diately with powdered sugar. Apple Fritters Sift together one and one-third cupfuls of flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder and one-fourth teaspoonful of salt. Add to two- thirds cupful of milk one egg beaten until light. Combine the mixtures, beating until smooth. Peel two or three large, tart apples, cut into thin slices, and stir into batter. Remove the coated slices one at a time and drop into deep fat heated to 360 degrees or until it will brown a piece of bread in sixty seconds. Drain on soft paper and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately, either plain or with a well-sea- soned sauce. IT THE INVALUABLE APPLE Apple Salad Cut a thin slice from the tops of six large, firm, red apples. With a strong spoon scoop out the pulp and drop the apple shells into cold, slightly acidulated water until ready to use. Cut the pulp into dice and mix with popped corn and celery, allowing one-half cupful of each to each cupful of apple. Mix with cream mayonnaise dressing and stuff into the carefully drained apple shells. Garnish with celery tops and serve on lettuce. Baked Apples and Custard Peel and core six firm, tart apples and place in a baking dish. Fill the cavities of the apples with sugar, cover the dish and bake in a moderate oven for about twenty minutes. To two eggs slightly beaten add one-third cupful of sugar and two cupfuls of scalded milk. Pour this over the apples, cooking them uncovered in a slow oven for about twenty minutes longer or until the custard is firm and the apples tender. Serve cold. Care must be taken not to have the oven too hot or the custard will separate. 18 Marshall, Brookes & Chalkley, Ltd., Pi'inters, London and Luton. *^ 4^ ^^ ' "^ A^ %^<^/i*o ^ ^ ^''j^^i^'' 'tis ^ " .^ .. **'% o « o , <^ ^\' C^ , - « ^ %^^ ^- * - . , • ^T- O^ " o « o ' .0 ^^ Si * •