What Works for me Wednesday!

There is nothing like going to the Orchards and picking fresh apples. We did that a few weeks ago, and as the final apples lay in my basket on the kitchen table, they were screaming for carmel. My little cooks helped with all the prepartion and in no time, we were chewing into gooey sweetness. I used 2 bags of carmels and added about 4 TBS of water to a pan. Melted the carmels while stirring every so often so they didn't burn. Once melted, we dipped and spooned carmel over the apples. I set them on a small cookie sheet lined with wax paper and then let them cool in the fridge. The apples haven't last long at all. The boys love them and I love them (plus its a semi-healthy snack-ha)!

A few Apple facts:

~In an average year, U.S. farmers grow about 250 million bushels of apples.

~About 60 percent of the U.S. apple crop is consumed fresh.

~Red Delicious is the apple variety with the greatest production in the U.S.

~The top U.S. apple varieties are: Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Gala, Granny Smith, Fuji and McIntosh.

~The average American consumes about 19 pounds of fresh apples each year.

~The average American eats just over 4 pounds of canned apples and about 1.7 gallons of apple juice annually.

~Around the world, apple growers grow over 1 billion bushels of apples.

~Largest apple producers (in decreasing order): China, United States, Italy, France, Poland and Germany

A great website with tons of APPLE stuff to do with your children. Enjoy!

http://www.teachingheart.net/appleunit.html