Oaken pip, core blimey, pearmain, orange pippin...

Have you guessed from the title what this week’s challenge is about?

How many different varieties of apples are grown in the UK? … amazingly around 2,200!!  The great news is that now is the best time of the year to enjoy eating them.  Your challenge this week is to swap imported fruit – like oranges, grapes, pineapple, mango, melon - for a locally grown APPLE A DAY for a week!  Watch out for imported apples and try some of the more unusual British varieties.

Remember to HIT THE RED BUTTON when you have completed this challenge!

To help cut our carbon emissions we need to eat ‘seasonally’ when we can – this means eating local food when it is naturally ready to harvest – just like apples are now. Seasonal eating helps minimises carbon emissions related to transportation, heated greenhouses, cold storage units, and higher levels of fertilizers or pesticides.

How many different ways can you think of to eat an apple? Slices, sticks, rings or cubes… dipped in peanut butter, cream cheese or melted chocolate ... scattered on your favourite breakfast cereal … added to cheese on toast. Maybe you like to munch an apple straight from the bowl… or could you make an apple crumble to share with your family?  If you want to take apple slices to school you can dip them in a mixture of 1 part lemon juice to 3 parts water to stop them going brown.

To combat climate change we need to cut our carbon emissions - this is sometimes referred to as climate change 'mitigation'.  We know however that climate change is already happening and some further climate change is inevitable.  Actions to help us cope with a changing climate are part of an 'adaptation' strategy.

Maintaining genetic diversity within our crops is an important part of an 'adaptation' strategy. Taking apple trees as an example; as well as producing different tasting apples, one 'variety' of apple tree will have different preferences for soil type and climate, will differ in disease-resistance, drought tolerance, nutritional quality, and differ in optimum harvest time.  Characteristic variations such as these will be crucial in enabling food systems around the world to adapt to a changing climate.  

Can you be brave and support the more unusual British apple varieties?  Try something new.  What does it smell like? Taste like? – crisp or crunchy? Sweet or tangy? Is it red, green, brown or stripey?

If you are lucky enough to have an apple tree growing in your garden, or neighbourhood, can you ask your parent / carer if the fruit is ready to pick? Or maybe you have a neighbour or friend who would welcome a hand picking theirs? When you need a break, why not find a comfy spot underneath the tree and look up at the canopy? What colours can you see? What does the bark feel like? Can you hear any birds, insects or animals? If you breathe deeply, can you smell the apples???

Remember to HIT THE RED BUTTON when you have completed this challenge! Please share some pictures of your apple creations if you’d like to see them on our website!