Greenbook: A Local Guide to Chesapeake Living - Issue 6 | Page 44

Maryland's Best
U-Pick Apple Orchards
Story By Diane Love

A

s crisp and delicious in school lunches boxes as they are in fresh or cooked salads, gooey and caramel-y
desserts, warm and comforting compotes or even rich mashes and casseroles, apples are the ultimate
portable, versatile fruit that everyone from the seasoned foodie to a picky toddler can –and should--enjoy.

At just 80 calories and fat, cholesterol and sodium-free, apples are high in fiber, pectin, vitamins and minerals.
In fact, a medium apple has about 4 grams of fiber, the near equivalent to a bowl of bran cereal, but without the
long list of subsidiary ingredients.
Apples are associated with lower risks of coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease and stroke. Experts
attribute the heart-healthy benefits of eating apples to antioxidant compounds found in in the skin and pectin,
which help prevent “bad” LDL cholesterol from oxidizing and also inhibit inflammation.
Eating Well Magazine reports that researchers analyzing National Health and Nutrition Examination Study
(NHANES) data, a surv