Free Republic

Eating more blueberries, apples and pears may be linked to lower risk of diabetes, according to a new U.S. study. These fruits are loaded with flavonoids, a natural compound present in certain fruits, vegetables and grains, which some research has tentatively tied to heath benefits such as a lower risk of heart disease or cancer. "People who ate a higher amount of blueberries or apples, they tended to have a low risk of type 2 diabetes," said An Pan, a research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health who worked on the study.

Cat and green apples ambush

For Popeye, spinach was the key to extra muscle. For the mice in a new University of Iowa study, it was apples, or more precisely a waxy substance called ursolic acid that's found in apple peel. The UI study, published in the June 8 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, showed that ursolic acid reduced muscle atrophy (also known as muscle wasting) and promoted muscle growth in mice. It also reduced fat, blood sugar levels, cholesterol and triglycerides in the animals. The findings suggest that the compound may be useful for treating muscle wasting and possibly metabolic disorders such as...

Great moments in Democrat Party History: Genesis edition. Satan was like the first "community organizer", just ask Eve, the first liberal useful idiot! Dumb broad and her damn apples.

A Maryland couple claims their orchard is now the first to sell hard cider in the state. The Frederick News-Post reports Patty Power and Robin Miller are first in Maryland to have a license to produce and sell the beverage with 5 percent to 7 percent fermented alcohol content. The couple’s Distillery Lane Ciderworks had its grand opening Saturday in Jefferson. The husband and wife planted the first apple trees on their farm in the spring of 2001. Now, they have more than 2,000 trees. For more information, visit ciderapples.com.

CBN.com –Fresh apples signal the fall harvest—bright red with an amazing aroma. We have heard the saying “an apple a day,” but with exotic fruits getting the headlines, what are the benefits of the ordinary apple? According to research, apples may have beneficial effects for diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, and asthma. The emerging data on apples is impressive and should have a profound impact on making healthy eating choices. Apples are packed with powerful phytonutrients that can support the body’s healing and disease-fighting ability. That’s why apples are a star ingredient in the recipes and meal plans of our...

Why do many food plants contain cyanide? In murder mysteries, the detective usually diagnoses cyanide poisoning by the scent of bitter almonds wafting from the corpse. The detective knows what many of us might find surprising — that the deadly poison cyanide is naturally present in bitter almonds and many other plants used as food, including apples, peaches, apricots, lima beans, barley, sorghum, flaxseed and bamboo shoots.There's a reason that cyanide exists in all these plants, and it is — to paraphrase Sherlock Holmes — evolutionary, suggests Kenneth M. Olsen, PhD, an assistant professor of biology in Arts &...

A new University of Illinois study touts the benefits of soluble fiber -- found in oats, apples, and nuts, for starters -- saying that it reduces the inflammation associated with obesity-related diseases and strengthens the immune system. This happens because soluble fiber causes increased production of an anti-inflammatory protein called interleukin-4, he said. Scientists have long known that obesity is linked to inflammatory conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. Yet, in a recent study, the U of I scientists demonstrated that fat tissue produces hormones that appear to compensate for this inflammation. "There are significant anti-inflammatory components in fat...

The top of the frozen apple juice can was stamped with the date, then the word "China." I could not believe it. China? I live in the Shenandoah Valley, at one time the biggest apple producer in the world, and my apple juice comes from China? Maybe it's just this store brand, I thought. But a visit to another grocery store confirmed it. They stocked a name brand, the top of it stamped with the date and the words "from China." I googled "China and apples." Stories and reports came up confirming my ... yes, fear. I hadn't been paying...

fruit grower Ken Morrish was left stunned when he found a golden delicious apple on his tree split exactly half green, half red down the middle. The fruit's striking colouring is thought to be caused by a random genetic mutation at odds

Fruit grower Ken Morrish was left stunned when he found a golden delicious apple on his tree split exactly half green, half red down the middle.Ken Morrish, 72, of Colaton Raleigh, Devon, did a double take when he grew a Golden Delicious apple split down the middle - one half was green and the other red Photo: ARCHANT The fruit's striking colouring is thought to be caused by a random genetic mutation at odds of more than a million to one. The apple has caused such a stir in the village of Colaton Raleigh, Devon, that Mr Morrish is inundated...

The common ancestor of all the Granny Smiths and Cox's Orange Pippins still grows on some of the world's most beautiful but little known mountainsides in the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan. The discovery of the "Garden of Eden" in Central Asia has triggered efforts to save what remains of the forests, always known for their abundance of wild fruit. Once under assault by Soviet agricultural planners, they are now menaced by the wealth of oil capitalism and as much as 80 per cent has disappeared. "In earlier historical times there were vast mixed fruit forests across the area," said...

A broad political settlement should be reached in the region and Beijing could then help America finding a way out of Kabul

NORTH ROSE – A Wolcott fruit grower is accusing the U.S. Border Patrol of racially profiling four of his workers who were stopped on Route 414 Aug. 17 as they were returning to his farm from a trip to purchase clothing. The men were all detained and taken for processing; Border Patrol Officer E. Rodriguez, who was in charge of the scene, told fruit grower Brian Doyle the men volunteered they were in the U.S. illegally. Doyle said Rodriguez then accused him of being a “federal criminal” because he employed the men. He said Rodriguez continually referred to the men...

Disfigured fruits and vegetables could be allowed in stores after most European Union members voted to loosen restrictions on produce, officials say. Misshapen bananas and cucumbers could be in stores by next year if reforms on produce rules are carried out, The Telegraph reported Thursday. The Telegraph said produce standards are so strict, many edible foods are discarded by farmers. European agriculture commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel said she thinks some regulations should also be thrown out for onions, garlic, cauliflower and spinach. In this era of high prices and growing demand, it makes no sense to throw (misshapen fruit and...

I really don’t understand what Marlys Miller is so upset about. Marlys is a writer for Pork magazine, which bills itself as “The Business Magazine of Professional Pork Producers”, and to her, Greg Niewendorp’s civil disobedience in refusing Michigan’s bovine TB test is an example of how “it's a few that create the greatest challenges for the whole.” In other words, if not for Greg, whom she references, and a few like him, we’d be rid of food contamination and, I infer, we’d have this beautiful wonderfully sterile country in which germs would go the way of…E.coli 0157:H7?

As some you know from past posts, I've recently relocated to a cabin sitting squarely between the twin communities of Chiggerville and Ticktown, and both of these 'burbs have employed the Skeeter Squadron to provide air cover. The one good thing about the cabin is that it is also surrounded by fruit trees...apple, pears, plums, peachers and lots of blueberry bushes. Lately, I've noticed all three of my dogs grazing like hogs under the apple trees, eating the apples that have fallen from the branches. Is this normal?

HAMPTONBURGH, N.Y., Aug. 16 — With a look of supreme satisfaction, Jeff Crist squinted at the Ginger Golds and Jonamacs ripening under an incandescent sun at his apple orchard here: the trees were so laden that they almost seemed to strain under the effort. “It’s a vintage crop — a solid quality crop, which means good sugars in the apples,” he said. “They should eat very nicely, almost like a good wine.” This is the third year in a row of near-perfect weather, and Mr. Crist, a fourth-generation apple grower, like many other growers in the Hudson Valley, is finally...

(GETTYSBURG, PA) -- Farmers have been growing apples here since before the Civil War, and as times have changed they have changed with them, planting smaller trees to speed up harvests and growing popular new varieties to satisfy changing tastes. But the growers who have made this hilly region the core of apple-growing in Pennsylvania worry that they face a new challenge that may be too big to overcome and could change their way of life. Like farmers in the bigger apple-producing states, they are becoming increasingly anxious about the prospect of China flooding the U.S. market with their fresh...

Doctor Mom's admonition, "Don't peel your apple," is getting new scientific support from scientists in New York, who are reporting isolation of chemical compounds from apple peel that may be involved in the apple's beneficial health effects. In the study, Rui Hai Liu and Xiangjiu He point out that apple consumption has been linked to a reduced risk of chronic health problems such as lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Traditional advice on eating apple peel was based mainly on its fiber content, with peel packing about 75 percent of the dietary fiber in an apple. More recently, however, scientists...

Science traces roots of 'traditional English' apple back to central Asia By Richard Gray, Sunday Telegraph Last Updated: 12:30am GMT 25/02/2007 It is a taste of the English countryside, but the origins of the apple lie far from our shady orchards. English apples can be traced back over 7,000 years English apples are direct descendants of fruit trees growing in an inhospitable mountainous region of central Asia, plant scientists at Oxford University have discovered. The DNA of England's famous apple varieties is almost identical to that of fruit found in the Tian Shan forest which lies on the border of...

Fruit's natural sugars a no, no - Edwina Farley "Australian and New Zealand fruit growers are worried new draft standards for health claims on food, could mean certain fruits are considered unhealthy. Food Standards Australia New Zealand has released draft guidelines governing nutrition and health claims made about food. Under the draft, foods with more than 16 grams of sugar per serve can't be advertised as healthy, ruling out fruits like mangoes, grapes and apples."

Pomologists bite off more than they can chew with 200-year-old apple mystery By Richard Savill Last Updated: 2:01am GMT 30/01/2007 The identity of an apple variety that has been growing in Dorset for 200 years has left fruit specialists baffled. For generations, the family of Diana Toms has affectionately referred to the fruit as Granfer's Apple, after her great, great grandfather who planted the tree in 1803. The family has asked pomologists to help establish the cooking apple's identity but they have so far been unable to solve the mystery. Mrs Toms, 83, said: "I am rather pleased it is...

Multimedia: Making apple cider(please enable pop-ups to see the gallery)Doris Heddy remembers when apple cider was the drink of choice each autumn.  Years ago, it was the most popular drink, but now there are choices that are unbelievable," she said, referring to an ever-growing soda and bottled water market.  Heddy owns Van Duyne's Cider Mill in Montville, the remnants of a large farm that dates back to the late 18th century. Every year, from late September until April, she sells thousands of gallons of fresh apple cider, pressed from apples trucked in from Mellick's Orchard in Oldwick.  "Doris has a...

Apple's Jobs caught up in US options scandal (Filed: 30/06/2006) Apple Computer has launched an internal investigation after admitting it may have manipulated stock-option grants to benefit executives, including chief executive Steve Jobs. The admission wraps Apple into the unfolding business scandal that is spreading to some of America's best-known companies. At least 60 have now disclosed possible stock option irregularities. Tainted: Steve Jobs may have been awarded a manipulated grant Investigators are trying to determine whether companies inflated the value of stock options awarded to senior executives by backdating or timing the grants to coincide with days when the...

CHICAGO - Buying organic milk these days - or organic apples, eggs, or beef - no longer has to mean an extra trip to a Whole Foods supermarket or the local co-op. Organic products now line the shelves at Safeway and Costco. And Wal-Mart - already the nation's largest organic-milk seller - says it wants to sell more organic food. Large companies including Kraft, General Mills, and Kellogg own sizable organic- and natural-food brands. Now, they are developing organic versions of their own products, too. Still, while some organic-food fans welcome its broadening appeal and availability, others worry that the...

Rush Limbaugh's defenders say he never would have been investigated for prescription fraud if he weren't a famous conservative commentator, and they're probably right. For one thing, it's unlikely The National Enquirer would have been interested in the pill popping habits of an average joe, or even an average millionaire. Yet the talk radio titan's detractors also have a point when they complain that he got off with a slap on the wrist after obtaining thousands of painkillers under false pretenses, a result they find especially galling in light of his general support for the war on drugs and his...

GENEVA - The World Trade Organization ruled Thursday that Japan's import barriers to U.S. apples are illegal, bringing closer the possibility of U.S. trade sanctions. Japan claims importing U.S. apples would expose Japan to fire blight, a bacterial disease. But the WTO panel found that Japan's import procedures for U.S. apples lacked "scientific evidence" and were disproportionately trade-restrictive. The WTO found Japan's apple restrictions in violation of international trade agreements in December 2003, but gave the country time to adjust its legislation. Japan changed its procedures, but the United States claimed it was still acting illegally went back to the...

America's most common apple also may be its most potent. Just don't skimp on the skin.Concord, NH -- A Canadian government study that measured the levels of antioxidants in eight varieties of apples found that Red Delicious contain the highest concentrations of the health enhancing chemicals. And to get the most bang for your bite, be sure to eat the peel. The skin of Red Delicious apples, the most common variety grown in the United States, contains over six times more antioxidant activity than the flesh, according to researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. But don't swear off other varieties...

Orchard owner plucks out new nameAn ambitious young man seeking a tourism-related future around an apple orchard in Sogn applied to change his name to "Eplet," which means "the apple" in Norwegian. He was prepared to defend his choice, but it wasn't necessary.Instead, it only took Trond Henrik Lie-Andreassen around three hours at the local registry office in Sogndal to complete the name-change formalities, reported newspaper VG."If the authorities put up a challenge, I was ready to argue that lots of Norwegians are named Gran, (which means 'fir,' as in the tree, in Norwegian)," Lie-Andreassen said.Lie-Andreassen, age 29, recently moved...

Guojian Liang is both friend and competitor to Central Washington. For four years, he's been buying apples from Wenatchee and selling them across China. During a one-month span in September 2003, his company imported 10,029 boxes, a feat that garnered an award from Gov. Gary Locke during a visit last year. His company, Shunfeng Trading, also exports Chinese apples to Singapore, Malaysia and other countries. "The Chinese Fuji can dominate in those countries," he says. "The cost is less and the quality is good." In fact, the Chinese Fuji already dominates in Singapore and Malaysia, as well as in Thailand...

"Bad Apples" Leave A Rotten Taste In My Mouth. -especially when used in French recipes. by MMD10   The story of Adam and Eve the Serpent and the Tree explains it best. God warned the young couple of the Serpent and eating from the Tree, right? Here we are today as a result of it the Bible teaches us, correct? You see there are people who eat so many apples from the tree they just camp under the tree. The problem being, a good percentage of those who camp under the tree get knocked in the head so many times...

All Jewish customs have Torah, historical and traditional origins, though many of them may be now somewhat obscure due to the passage of time and the circumstances of the long exile of Israel. On Rosh HaShana, Jews dip an apple into honey. Why? What is the special symbolism of the apple that makes it the fruit that most graces our Rosh HaShana table? The sophisticated doubters amongst us have stated that the apple is used because it is the fruit that was most available in all of the areas of the world of the Jewish exile. However, such reasoning begs...

<p>A potbellied, middle-aged man stands against a white background. He's listening to a portable music device and singing The Who's classic "My Generation" out loud. Change the channel. A stout, middle-aged woman stands against a white background. She's listening to a portable music device and singing the Sugarhill Gang classic "Rapper's Delight."</p>