[Faith-talk] {Spam?} The Apple, Nature's Gift To Man by Michele Arrieh

[Paul Smith]

Tasty and nutritious and readily available all year long, the apple is 
commonly taken for granted.  This juicy, sweet fruit, eaten in a 
variety of ways, has been a source of food for man throughout the ages. 
Scholars surmise that apples may have originated in Southwest Asia 
where, coincidentally, the Bible places the Garden of Eden.  It is a 
known fact, however, that apples were used by primitive man long before 
recorded history.  Archaeologists have found carbonized remains of 
apples in prehistoric lake dwellings in Switzerland dating back to the 
Iron Age.  There is also evidence that apples were eaten and preserved 
by slicing and sun-drying as far back as the Stone Age in Europe.

Information about apples can be found in some of man's earliest 
recordings.  The ancient annals of Babylon, Egypt and China revealed 
that man understood, as many as 20 centuries ago, that apples do not 
reproduce true from seed but must be bud grafted in order to maintain a 
particular variety.  Invading Roman legions under Caesar introduced 
apples to the British Isles, where they have flourished ever since.  In 
time, apples were planted throughout Europe.

The first settlers in this country found that the apples they knew were 
not indigenous to their new homeland.  The closest substitute was a 
sour crabapple, which was of limited use for food and not cultivated by 
the Indians.  So fond were they of teh apple, however, that the 
settlers sought ways to provide their families and themselves with this 
favorite fruit.  Governor Endicott of the Massachusetts Bay Colony is 
credited with growing the first apple tree in this country from a 
seedling brought from Europe.  The first apple crops in the New World 
were harvested by Pilgrims in Massachusetts and the colonists in 
Jamestown, Virginia.  Even George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, both 
diligent students of horticulture, planted and maintained beautiful 
apple orchards on their estates.

As the early settlers traveled west in covered wagons, they carried, as 
treasured and carefully protected cargo, apple trees and "scion wood" 
for grafting.  Apples were also carried by Indians, traders, and 
missionaries into the new frontier.

In the early 1800's, a man by the name of Jonathan Capman gained a wide 
reputation for his travels through the territories of Ohio, Indiana and 
Illinois, preaching his Swedenborgian faith and planting apple trees 
wherever he went.  He lived frugally, never owned a home, dressed in 
meager clothes, and often went barefoot in summer and winter.  Upon his 
head he wore a tin pan, which served the dual purpose of hat and stew 
pan for cooking his food.  With a pocketful of apple seeds, he traveled 
throughout most of the Ohio Valley, working his way west.  As he went 
along, he planted and tended seedling apple tree nurseries for the 
early frontier settlers.  Thus, the legend of Johnny Appleseed was 
born.  A peace-loving man, Johnny Appleseed was also a friend to the 
Indians and sought no harm to any living creature.  He became known for 
his courage and dedication to his fellowman, as well as for the 
thousands of apple trees he planted.  Today, his life and work are 
commemorated in a park and memorial in Fort Wane, Indiana, where he 
died in 1845.

Throughout antiquity the apple has been used symbolically.  The Book of 
Genesis describes a certain tree bearing fruit in the Garden of Eden to 
which God forbade access to Adam and Eve.  Although the "forbidden 
fruit" is not directly named in the Bible, the implicit assumption has 
always been that it was an apple that led to man's downfall.  The 
"knowledge" inherent in the tree and its fruit is taken to mean the 
ability to distinguish between good and evil.

The Lord Jehovah's great regard for the Israelites is implied several 
times in the Old Testament by the expression, "The apple of His eye." 
"For he that touches you toucheth the apple of His eye," Moses warns in 
Deuteronomy.  Jeremiah alludes in Lamentations to the more commonly 
understood use of the phrase when he says, "Let the tears run down like 
a river day and night; give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine 
eye cease." This statement links the pupil of the eye to its likeness, 
the apple, a solid sphere, meaning that the Israelites were as precious 
to God as the pupils of man's eyes are to him.

In classical mythology, the apple is often made of gold, a clear 
measure of the esteem in which it was held.  One story tells of a 
beauty contest between the goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, which 
the mortal Paris is chosen to judge.  Aphrodite bribes Paris, offering 
him the most beautiful mortal woman for his wife if he will grant her 
the golden apple inscribed, "to the fairest." Paris accepts the 
offer--though his bride is to be Helen, who is already married to 
Menelaus, thus igniting and long and tragic Trojan War.  In both Greek 
and Roman mythology, the apple was often a symbol of love and beauty.

Another story describes a wonderful tree that grows in the Garden of 
the Gods, having sprung up on the day that Zeus and Hera were wed in 
the garden.  This magnificent tree bears golden apples with a taste of 
honey and the ability to cure all illnesses.

Ages later in Devonshire, England, the saying arose, "Eat an apple 
before going to bed.  Makes the doctor beg his bread." Today we claim 
that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." There is more truth in 
that saying that might be expected, since recent studies show that 
apples contain certain substances that aid in the body's digestion and 
regulatory systems, help fight body toxins, and control the levels of 
cholesterol in the blood.  Studies have also shown that the eating of 
apples results in a marked reduction in dental decay because apples act 
as their own toothbrush.

The apple is also the focal point of many stories which have grown up 
around actual characters.  Sir Isaac Newton is said to have 
"discovered" the law of gravity while sitting under an apple tree.  
Supposedly while watching the simple act of apples falling to the 
ground, Newton was able to make his insightful observations.  Legend 
also has it that William Tell shot an apple off his son's head at the 
order of Austrian invaders of Switzerland.

In today's storehouse of phrases and expressions, the apple still has a 
prominent place.  "Mother, apple pie and baseball" is a phrase that 
connotes wholesomeness and all-American standards.  "Apple polisher" or 
"apple shiner" became an expression in this country in the 1920's and 
refers to a flatterer or one who is trying to impress another, deriving 
its meaning from the older tradition of the eager student who gives his 
teacher an apple.  The expression, "apple knocker," for a rustic type, 
has come into use in this century, as has the term "Big Apple," meaning 
New York City.

It may be surprising to discover that the ordinary little apple is 
quite a famous and historically illustrious fruit.  Man has known for a 
long time that the apple is one of nature's miracles--a colorful and 
delicious "package" of health-giving nutrients and eating enjoyment.  
Maybe Eve was tempted by an apple, but it has been a blessing to 
mankind ever since!

And now you know as much about the apple as I do.  Of course, when this 
article was written, the Apple Computer wasn't really on the market, 
but that's a different story.

This is the first part of an article on the apple.  Tomorrow in this 
space we will post a number of apple recipes.  All diabetics take 
warning:  Eating these tasty morsels might result in your deaths, as 
there is an inordinately amount of sugar in each recipe.

And that will do for now.  Until tomorrow when, Lord willing the recipe 
collection will be posted, may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just 
keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in 
which we live.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul