Johnny Appleseed Day

Have an apple today in honor of Johnny Appleseed.  He was a real person (1774-1845) named John Chapman who traveled west with the American settlement movement. The legend goes he planted apple trees along the way and sold trees to pioneers. During his life,  the "West" was places like Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois.  He preached as he traveled, lived the simple life and gave away most of the money he received.

The apple tree originated in Asia, where they have been grown for thousands of years. Apples were brought to North America by European colonists and the first apple orchard on the North American continent was planted in Boston in 1625.  Today, more than half of the world's apple production comes from China with the U.S. second.

The proverb "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" dates from 19th century Wales.  The original saying was "Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.” Yes, an apple is certainly better for you than a bowl of Tillamouk ice cream.

Apples have fiber, but they're actually light on essential nutrients like vitamins.  However, the peels contain various photochemicals.  Not much is known about these mysterious chemical compounds in plants, but some have been considered "drugs" for thousands of years.  Salicin, from willow bark, is an example.