Chambersburg AppleFest
The Chambersburg AppleFest is coming up on Saturday, October 19! This annual event is great for the whole family and has become a great tradition in Franklin County.
The festival features local handmade crafts and décor, live music, contests, a kids’ activity station, great food, and locally grown produce including—of course—apples and apple treats.
Apples are the main crop in South Central Pennsylvania, and the Chambersburg AppleFest celebrates the time of year when they’re at their peak.
Health benefits of apples
Apples are worth all the attention they get around here. Not only do they support our state’s economy, they offer fantastic benefits to people who enjoy them:
Weight loss
An apple is low in calories but tends to leave you feeling full. Eating a whole apple a few minutes before a meal can help you consume 15% fewer calories.
Asthma and lung cancer prevention
For reasons still not fully known, studies demonstrated that regular consumption of apples can help prevent lung cancer and reduce the severity of asthma.
Heart health
Certain antioxidants in apples can help lower cholesterol levels and can help prevent fats from oxidizing and “clogging” arteries. Apples are associated with a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.
Other nutrients
Apples are high in a variety of antioxidants, potassium, and vitamins A and C (among others), and are a moderately good source of dietary fiber. Apples may also help regulate blood sugar levels.
Apple farming facts
For those of you who like trivia, here are some statistics about apple growing you might find interesting:
- The United States produces well over 900 billion pounds of apples each year—a volume exceeded only by China.
- Pennsylvania is the 4th largest producer of apples in the U.S.—we grow 5% of America’s apples.
- There are more than 7,500 varieties of apples in the world, though only a small percentage of these varieties ever make it to stores and farmers’ markets.
- A dwarf apple tree (the size typically found in pick-your-own orchards) can produce well over 200 pounds of apples in one season.
We hope you’ll have a chance to make it out to the Chambersburg AppleFest this weekend. You can find out more details on the event on the AppleFest Facebook page.
More importantly, we hope you’ll take advantage of apples this season (and fresh produce throughout the year) as a sweet and easy step towards pursuing a healthy lifestyle!
photo credits: Apples: Muffet via photopin cc Apple tree: glasseyes view via photopin cc