Since October is traditionally known as an apple month, I thought I would talk a little bit about apples today.

Apples are a very good addition to almost any diet. You should think about adding apples to almost any meal rather than just as a snack. There are several websites full of recipes that make use of apples.

Apples are very low in calories. One medium apple has only 80 calories. Apples are low in fat, have no cholesterol and no sodium. Apples are high in complex carbohydrates—those are the good ones. They are also a good source of dietary fiber with 4 grams and with a soluble fiber content of 3 grams. Apples also contain both vitamin A and yes, some vitamin C.

The traditional varieties like Delicious, Golden Delicious, Jonathan and Granny Smith are usually on the market year-round. However, I would like to mention a few newer ones and some older ones that you may not have heard of before. I'll present these in alphabetical order. The first is Braeburn, a mildly sweet and crispy apple, Empire, a sweet/tart combination, Fuji, a very sweet and quite crunchy apple. Gala is a sweet and crunchy apple. Honeycrisp is a sweet, juicy and crisp apple that I have talked about before on Farm Feature. Ida Red is an older favorite that is sweet/tart, firm and juicy. Paula Red is an early season sweet-tart juicy apple that might be getting low in supply now. Finally, Rome or Rome Beauty - this is a mildly tart, juicy apple that is great baked either in the oven or in the microwave. Still newer ones that your rarely see are Jazz, Pacific Rose, and Pink Lady.

In the U.S., the average consumption rate of apples is about 42 pounds per year. I challenge you to double that with these newer varieties. I know the local growers would love to see that! By the way, remember to request Michigan apples. That is all for today. This has been Al Gaus, for Berrien County MSU Extension.