The apple is the best of all fruits, and has also the immense advantage
of now being practically available all the year round. It contains ·4
per cent. of protein, 14·2 per cent. of sugar in its perfect form, ·5
per cent. of fat, ·5 per cent. mineral matter, with 84 per cent. water,
also in its purest form.
Apple juice stimulates life and activity, owing to the purity of its
ingredients and the large store of organic nerve-feeding phosphorus
that it possesses.
Naturally the best way to drink apple juice is by eating the fruit
itself, ripe and ready to hand, finished by Nature. As this is not yet
compatible with the modern view, which calls for endless variety and no
end of cooking, the apple has of necessity to lend itself to all forms
of cookery, and, as such, has to be prepared in many different ways as
beverages. In the case, also, of ill people, the cooked apple, although
in reality less digestible than its unfired prototype, yet may appeal
more to the jaded appetite of the invalid.
One noted fact which should not be forgotten is that the typhoid
bacillus, and many other germs of the same family, cannot exist in
fresh apple juice for any length of time. Hence fruit and vegetable
juices are obviously the remedy for typhoid fever, not milk or whey.
Fresh Apple Juice.
The juice of fresh apples is extracted in cider-producing districts,
and is a very excellent drink. Cider, too, is good if the amount of
alcohol contained in it is very small. At the present time there are
several brands of sterilised apple juice on the market which are
practically free from alcohol.
To extract quickly the juice from apples so that it may be available
in an uncooked or unsterilised form, all that is necessary is to pass
apples, from which all bruised and tainted parts have been cut out,
through an Enterprise Fruit Juice Press. This costs from 18s. upwards
according to size and capacity required. In this way the juice can be
quickly extracted in a vital, uncooked state.
Crab-apple juice, or verjuice, is much appreciated in certain parts
of the country, the sharpness appealing to some palates more than
sweetness. If some of our farmers in the apple-growing districts would
start small factories and have one or two machines with a quantity of
bottles and a sterilising outfit, they could use their windfalls, and
any ripe apples which they could not sell to advantage, for the purpose
of bottling sterilised apple juice.
Apple-peel Tea.
The peel of an apple contains quinic acid, which is a powerful natural
solvent of uric and other acids. Some food reformers have even advised
people to eat the peel, and discard the pulp. The peel of apples
should never be thrown away, but made into a drink, or added to other
beverages. It should, of course, be rubbed clean, and any decayed parts
removed before use.
Apple Soups.
Fruit soups are made on a general plan of utilising one or more fruits
to give the distinctive flavouring, then adding some form of starchy
material, such as potato flour, sago or barley, to thicken, then adding
honey, dried fruits, and spices to flavour the soup. This is a strange
way of treating one of Nature’s finest productions, but the modern
palate has to be led, not pushed.
Apple soup should preferably be served cold, or iced, in small cups.
It is a food--spoilt to some extent by the cooking process--and should
always be very slowly sipped, and used as an appetiser.
A plain apple soup can be made as follows:--Take 2 lbs. of apples,
preferably of the sour cooking kind; either slice them along with
peel and core, or, if the soup is wanted at once, finely grate the
apples on a flat grater, or the apples can first be roasted or baked.
To the apples prepared in one of these alternative ways add 1 oz. of
mealy baked potato, or flaked rice or pot barley, and about 2½ pints
of water. Simmer until soft, strain through a wire sieve, and serve
either very hot or very cold. If the apples are sour, season them with
honey or prune juice; and if sweet, use parsley, spices as cinnamon
or cloves, or ginger. Chemical-free “cracker” or “wafer” biscuits, or
macaroons, can be served with the soup.
Apple Water.
This is an excellent cooling, antiseptic fever drink provided it is
not too much dosed with sugar. To prepare it, cut a few sound apples
into small pieces, or grate them finely; remove any tainted or wormy
parts, while doing this, but do not throw away the peel, as this,
as mentioned, contains valuable organic salts which exert a strong
purifying effect upon the blood. If the outside surfaces of the apples
are dirty, they can be scrubbed and dried before use. Place the apples
(say three large ones) into a quart of boiling water, cook, or, better,
simmer in a double-lined saucepan until soft. Pour off the liquor,
season with a little lemon juice, grated lemon peel, and honey, and
serve very hot. Unripe apples make the best apple water, or windfalls
can be used for this purpose.
Another method of making apple water is to bake some sound apples in
the oven. When softened, stick a few cloves into them and sprinkle
with a little brown sugar. Let the apples fully bake and the cloves
and sugar become slightly browned, then pour boiling water upon them.
Let them stand until the water has taken up the goodness, then finally
strain and serve hot.
Apple Coffee.
Apple coffee, or apple tea as it is sometimes styled, as sold
commercially, is made by taking a quantity of apple rings or pippins,
drying and roasting them slowly until quite crisp, then grinding them
and storing away in an air-tight receptacle. Moisture causes the
powdered roasted apple coffee to become sticky, and eventually to cake
together in a mass.
To prepare apple coffee for use, add to one teaspoonful of the powder
a half pint of boiling water, boil for a few minutes to bring out
the flavour, then serve hot by pouring through a strainer into a
breakfast cup. Add milk or cream and lemon juice if desired.
Apple coffee is a pleasant beverage if nicely made, but people soon
tire of it and return to ordinary coffee or tea, unless they have
entirely evolved out of the use of all stimulating beverages, and then
they would not require even the apple coffee.
B