This past Saturday 3 Healthy Chicks headed to Princeton for the Global Mala for Peace. After doing 108 Sun Salutations in Palmer Square we drove to Terhune Orchard's Apple Day! Terhune Orchards is located on Cold Soil Road just outside of Princeton. One of the more fabulous things about Terhune (and there are many to list!!!) is that it has recently been awarded Organic Certification by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture for 8 acres!Portions of the farm and orchards that are not designated as organic are maintained in a sustainable manner, according to the rules of crop rotation. This means regularly changing the variety of plantings in each field, guards against nutrient depletion and reduces the use of fertilizers and pesticides. Growing in a sustainable manner and implementing crop rotations helps to ensure that the produce grown has the best flavor, color, and size. Organic Certification is not an easy designation to achieve, so congratulations Terhune!
Apple Day at Terhune was fabulous! The farm was bustling with fresh fruits, vegetables and home made goods. Before we headed into the pick your own area of the farm, we enjoyed a fresh apple cider slushy. This is how slushies should be made! No additives, no preservatives, just freshly pressed apple cider and ice! They were refreshing and thirst quenching!
The pick your own apples (Empire, Delicious and Stayman Winesap) were a vibrant red and practically falling off the branch into your hands! Children were running in sugared bliss, sticky faces with caramel and candy apples in hand. There was a corn stalk maze, tractor rides and even live music by the Daisy Jug Band! The smell of apples hung thick in the air. Is there really anything better than picking fresh, juicy apples on an warm September day?? If there is, please let us know so we can put it on our next weekend agenda!
Fun aside, there is a lot more to apples than enjoying a social day in the sun. Apples are one of those amazing fruits given to us by Mother Nature that not only tastes as sweet as candy, but it's good for us as well. We've all heard the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" but did anyone ever stop to ask why? What are the health benefits of apples?
Since 3 Healthy Chicks left Terhune Orchards with no less than 4 bags of apples, of course we took the time to find out why exactly we should be eating an apple a day to keep the doctor away. Here's what we learned: Apples are high in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Fresh apples contain quercetin, which are great for protecting your brain from free radicals and pectin which assists in lowering bad cholesterol. Additional health benefits of apples include: prevents diarrhea and constipation, reduces risk of cancer, reverses appendicitis, fights depression, slows aging, protects the heart, lowers cholesterol and prevents Alzheimer's! That's a lot of benefits!!
It seems like the apple a day theory just may hold some credence. I am on to McIntosh number 2 right now.
Keep it Fresh!
3HC