Apple

One of the first things a child learns is the alphabet, and almost always, "A is for apple." The apple has been around for so long that it can be called the first fruit. Hieroglyphic writings found in the pyramids and tombs of the ancient Egyptians indicate that they used the apple as both a food and a medicine. It not only has been at the beginning of alphabet songs, but has been the center of legends, folklore, and eyen religion, for thousands of years, from Adam and Eve to Johnny Appleseed.
The people of the United States love apples. The state of Wash­ington produces 32,000,000 boxes of apples a ear. Washington's orchards supposedly began from a single tree that was planted in 1827 from a seed given to Captain Simpson of the Hudson Bay Company by a young woman from London. That tree is still standing!
Years ago, apples were used to relieve gout, bilious constitutions, skin eruptions, and nerves. They are so popular around the world that they have all kinds of superstitions and traditions attached to them. The peasants of Westphalia used apples mixed with saffron as a cure for jaundice. There is also a legend in Devonshire, England, that an apple rubbed on a wart will cure it. On Easter morning, peasants in a province of Prussia ate an apple to insure against fever. The Turks gave the apple the power of restoring youth.
There are so many varieties of apples that almost anyone can find an apple to suit his palate. Since there are summer, winter, and fall varieties, apples can be had fresh all year around.When you cook apples, be sure to do so over a very low flame. It is best to cook them in a stainless steel utensil, so that the delicate pectin, vitamins, and minerals will be preserved as much as possible. Apples, of course, are best raw and are good in various kinds of salads.