Apple

Pick it!

• There are about 2500 varieties of apples with varying degrees of crispness and sweetness.
• Look for smooth skin with bright coloring and no bruises or soft spots.
• Keeping apples in a bag in the refrigerator or in the drawer help them last longer.
• As apples ripen, they can cause other fruits and vegetables nearby to ripen, so check them often.

Try it!

• Wash before eating. Use raw as a snack or in a sack lunch, sliced in salad. Bake into apple crisp or dried into apple chips.
• Unsweetened applesauce with sweet apples: peel, core, and chop 4 apples. Simmer in a saucepan with 1⁄4-cup water and one lemon slice for 10 minutes. Stir often. Crush when soft. Add cinnamon and nutmeg.

Ingredients

• 2 medium-size tart apples (Granny Smith, Braeburn, Cortland, Jonathan, Fuji)
• 1 tsp brown packed sugar
• 1⁄4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbls oatmeal
• 2 Tbls raisins, chopped walnuts, or other nuts
• 6-ounces low-fat vanilla yogurt

Directions

1. Cut apples in half lengthwise.
2. Remove cores and hollow out a space 1 inch or more.
3. Arrange apple halves, cut sides up, in microwavable dish.
4. Cut thin slices off bottoms to keep from tipping.
5. Combine sugar, cinnamon, oatmeal, raisins, and nuts.
6. Fill each apple half.
7. Cover with plastic wrap.
8. Fold back one edge 1⁄4 inch to vent steam.
9. Microwave 3 to 3 1⁄2 minutes, or until apples can be cut easily.
10. Remove and let sit a few minutes.
11. Spoon yogurt over the top.