Here Are All The Benefits Of Apples And Pumpkins

The USDA considers one small apple as one serving of fruit (or half of one large apple). Apple picking is so fun, and it's satisfying to have such a wholesome treat around afterwards.

The old adage, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” has some validity to it. As noted by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, apples are a good source of insoluble and soluble fiber, phytochemicals including anthocyanin, catechin, chlorogenic acid, and quercetin, as well as Vitamin C.

Another benefit of apples is that they have a fairly long shelf life. When stored on your kitchen countertop or in your pantry, freshly picked apples can last roughly 2-4 weeks, but for best results, store them in your refrigerator crisper, where they can stay fresh for up to 6-8 weeks. That's right, those October apples can potentially go in your family’s favorite pies for all of the end-of-the-year holidays.

Enough about apples, onto fall pumpkins. One of the best parts about pumpkins is roasting their seeds for a crunchy, salty, and satisfying snack. Although traditional roasting recipes are delicious, get creative in the kitchen with cool flavor combinations like chili, cinnamon, and garlic. Eat them all on their own or add them to a fall salad for a satiating crunch.

Just like apples, pumpkins are the perfect fall baking partner. Who can say no to slice of classic pumpkin pie, anyone? Pumpkins are also great for cooking as well, inspiring delicious recipes for all times of day including pumpkin pie, overnight oats, pumpkin pancakes, and roasted pumpkin.

Cooking the seeds can be just the tip of the iceberg. Another great thing about pumpkins is that you can make homemade pumpkin puree. As long as you are using a baking pumpkin or sugar pumpkin, you can roast it and blend it into a fresh batch of pumpkin puree to use in all of your baking and cooking recipes. Here is how you can make your own pumpkin puree.

If you've had enough roasted pumpkin seeds, try making them into a batch of homemade pumpkin seed butter. Simply add your pumpkin seeds to a food processor, and blend for about five minutes, or until the seeds become a smooth spread. Enjoy a spoonful of Simple Pumpkin Seed Butter just like you would any other plant-based spread—on an apple slice, on top of that morning bowl of oatmeal, or slathered on a piece of toast.