You might not think of apples as a native crop to Mississippi. Yet, our ancestors, living on homesteads from the Delta to the Gulf Coast, would have enjoyed apple varieties adapted to their specific climate. Your great-great-grandparents would never have seen or recognized today’s popular apples, such as Red Delicious or Granny Smith. Thanks to fruit explorers and orchardists, some of Mississippi’s heirloom apples are making a comeback.
Move over, Johnny Appleseed. Mississippi can thank Captain Davis for introducing a sweet, crisp, and juicy apple variety to the state and the South. Captain Davis of the Confederate army was discharged in North Carolina at the end of the Civil War and headed home to Kosciusko, MS. While traveling back on foot, he found an apple tree bearing the best apples he had ever eaten. He pocketed some of the seeds and planted them at his Mississippi home, where the trees proved to be resilient to our heat, productive, and fragrant. The Captain Davis apple is green with a red blush, with a sweet, crisp, and juicy taste.
The good news is you don’t need an apple orchard in your backyard to enjoy its good nutrition and deliciousness. In October, you can find many popular apples, such as Fuji, Cosmic Crisp, Idared, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, and Pink Lady, in your local grocery store. Varieties like Fuji, Jonagold, and Golden Delicious are well-suited for baking, while others, such as Fuji and Cosmic Crisp, are excellent for fresh eating. Late-season apples, such as Arkansas Black and Granny Smith, also become available in late October.
Apples are a good source of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants, which have been linked to numerous health benefits, including promoting heart health, regulating blood sugar levels, improving digestion, boosting the immune system, reducing inflammation, and protecting against certain types of cancer.
Children and adults can enjoy snacking on raw apple slices, or try dipping them into peanut butter or pairing them with cheddar cheese. Whole apples are durable with a reasonably long shelf life, making them perfect for backpacks, gym bags, and desk drawers. Whenever you need a quick snack or a nutritious sweet ending to lunch, it’s there for you. Not to mention, in the fall season, a bowl of apples is as decorative as it is delicious.
Apples aren’t just great raw; you should cook with them, too! Think beyond the traditional pie and bake apple muffins, add diced apples to weeknight sautés, or make applesauce at home. Use applesauce in your favorite baking recipes, whether you’re using apples or not, to reduce the saturated fat calories associated with heart disease. Replace half of the butter in any baking recipe with store-bought or homemade applesauce. If a recipe calls for a cup of butter, use half a cup of butter and half a cup of applesauce.
Mississippians might not have the same varieties of apples from long ago, but savoring a slice of warm apple pie stands the test of time.
Apple Muffins
All you need is a bowl and a whisk to mix up the batter and bake. Use a tart, crisp apple that holds its shape, like a Granny Smith, Rome, or Honeycrisp apple. This makes a batch of 12 muffins, the perfect amount for a weekend breakfast without leftovers. You can easily double the recipe for up to 24 muffins.
½ cup butter (1 stick), melted
½ cup of sugar
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg, beaten
½ cup applesauce (unsweetened)
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups self-rising flour + 1 Tbsp reserved
1 ½ cups of fresh apples, peeled and finely chopped*
powdered sugar (for dusting, optional)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners and spray. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk well. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Then add in the melted butter and apple sauce. Whisk well. Fold in flour mixture slowly, mixing by hand till combined. Toss diced apples with reserved flour before adding to the batter. Gently fold apples into the batter. Spoon about ¼ cup of batter into muffin tins. Bake at 425 F for 5 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350F and continue baking for 15-20 minutes. You want your muffins golden brown or give it the ole toothpick test. Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove the muffins to finish cooling on a wire rack or pan. *You can peel and cube your apples, add them to a food processor for 2-5 pulses if you prefer not to dice by hand.
Harvest Chicken Skillet with Sautéed Apples
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, – cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt – divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 slices thick-cut bacon – chopped
3 cups Brussels sprouts – trimmed and halved
1 medium onion – chopped
2 Granny Smith apples – peeled, cored and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth – divided
Heat the olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add the chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Cook until lightly browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Reduce skillet heat to medium-low. Add the chopped bacon and cook until crisp and brown. Transfer the bacon to the same paper towel-lined plate as chicken. Drain the fat, but don’t wipe it clean.
Increase skillet heat back to medium-high. Add Brussels sprouts, onion, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally. Slowly add in ½ cup chicken broth, as needed to keep vegetables from sticking (you may or may not use all the broth). Use your spatula to scrape up the bacon goodness off the pan for flavor. Brussel sprouts should become tender and the onions look translucent in about 10 minutes. If needed, place a lid on the pan and allow it to steam in 5-minute increments.
Stir in the apples, thyme, and cinnamon. Cook for 30 seconds, then pour in ½ cup of the broth. Bring to a boil and cook until evaporated. Add the reserved chicken and bacon. Cook until heated through. Serve warm. This dish pairs well with a baked sweet potato, over rice, or all by itself.
