VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA (Commodity Online): If you believe in the saying ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’, Americans are all set to provide you a lot of their homegrown fruit this time around.

In fact, apple harvest is in full swing in the country and the crop is expected to be much more than last year’s.

The latest US apple industry forecast estimates that this year’s total crop will be roughly 241 million bushels of apples. That is equivalent to about 113 apples per person and is 4% larger than last year’s crop.

This year’s crop is abundant. With so many tasty, convenient and affordable ways to use apples, this is going to be a great year for apples and apple consumers, says Allison Parker MS, RD, director of consumer health and education for the US Apple Association.

Here’s a list of the top 10 varieties from across the nation:
Red Delicious: Sweet, crispy and juicy; great for a snack or tossed in a salad. Golden Delicious: Mellow and sweet; a wonderful pie apple and also good in a salad. Gala: Crispy, juicy, very sweet; good for snacking or for applesauce. Granny Smith: Green flesh, very tart flavour; best for baking and pies. Fuji: Sweet flavour and firmness; try it in a salad, for sauce or just to snack on. McIntosh: juicy, tangy, and tart with a tender, white flesh; a great applesauce apple. Rome: Mildly tart apple; primarily used for cooking.  Empire: Crisp, juicy with a delightful sweet-tart flavour and creamy white flesh; a well known snacking apple. Idared: Tangy flavour and firm texture; good for snacking and baking. Braeburn: Crisp, juicy with a rich, spicy-sweet flavor; great for baking and on salads.

Fresh apples make a convenient, nutrient-rich, on-the-go snack. But did you know apples and apple products can be a great accompaniment to the center of your plate? This versatile fruit can be chopped up and tossed into salads, stir-fry’s, casseroles, and of course be served as a sweet, after-dinner treat. Apples are packed with soluble fiber and have high water content — both of which help keep you fuller, longer and may help you maintain a healthy weight. In addition, fiber helps promote heart health, decrease your risk for developing cancer and aid in good digestion. Furthermore, apples are a significant source of boron in the diet; a mineral important for bone health.

Recent apple research out of Cornell University suggests that apples (especially the peel) contain powerful, naturally-occurring substances called phytochemicals that help inhibit breast cancer formation. Another recently published study from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell indicates that the regular consumption of apple juice helps keep our minds sharp and may even delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
(Courtesy: PRWeb)

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