AUBURN, July 27---Apples, one of the world’s most perfect foods, should be in plentiful supply this fall. The nutritious, delicious fruit is a tasty fat-free snack great for grabbing on the go, says Dr. Barbara Struempler, a nutritionist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away," she says. "Apples are a great food. They have no fat, cholesterol or salt. They are a low-calorie, ready-to-serve food for the on-the-go person."

Apples are already being harvested across the state. Summer apples are harvested beginning in late June through early August, says Bob Boozer, an Extension horticulturist. Fall apples get started in August and continue through October, he says.

About 30 or 40 different varieties of apples are grown in home orchards across Alabama, with the Golden Delicious and Red Delicious among the two most popular types.

"There are a lot of suggested and recommended varieties to choose from. But there are also a lot of other types to try and sort of play with in the home orchard," says Boozer. "We are seeing a shift in the apple industry from apples that are solid red. There are a lot of new varieties, such as the Gala and Fugi, that folks are shifting to. They don’t have that deep red color and typical shape, but they have excellent flavor."

Though apples are an American favorite, they are one of the most difficult fruits to grow. Boozer says careful preparation before planting and proper maintenance of the trees are essential for growing good apples.

"It’s a pretty intense process," he says. "Apples have probably the highest-maintenance requirements of any fruits. They require a lot of management, pruning,

training and pest control. They require good management and effort to get a sound product at harvest. A good bit of training is necessary. But if you enjoy spending a good bit of time with the trees, you can do it."

When apples are ripe for the harvest, they are picked off the trees and either immediately consumed or refrigerated. When refrigerating, keep the temperature 30 to 40 F, says Boozer.

"It depends on the variety," he says, "but most apples can be refrigerated safely and maintain their quality from one to several months."

Boozer says proper preparation before planting apple trees is critical for healthy fruit.

"When you plant fruit trees, you are hoping they’ll be there for 10 to 20 years," he says. "So the time you spend selecting the site to plant, preparing the site, testing the soil, etc ... is very important. The more time you spend doing that, the better. You want to give that plant the best opportunity to grow from the start. You don’t want to just dig a hole and stick it in. You want it to be part of the landscape and dinner table for many years."

For more information about soil testing or preparing a planting site for apple trees, contact your local county Extension agent.

SOURCE: Bob Boozer, (rboozer@aces.edu), Horticulturist, Chilton Regional Research and Extension Center, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, (205) 646-4123 and Dr. Barbara Struempler, (bstruemp@aces.edu), Nutritionist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, (334) 844-2217