Most of us are very familiar with apples. We grew up drinking apple juice, snacking on applesauce, enjoying apple pie, and crunching on fresh apples for lunch. You might consider apples a basic fruit…maybe you would even go so far as to call them boring (we beg to differ, but more on that another time!). Since so many of us are familiar with apples, you may be surprised to learn a few new interesting facts about this well-known fruit.

Interesting Apple Facts You May Not Know

  1. It takes most apple trees 4-5 years to bear an apple. It takes some apple trees even longer.
  2. The scientific term for growing apples is pomology.
  3. Gala apples are America’s most popular variety.
  4. It takes approximately 36 apples to make one gallon of apple cider. That’s a lot of apples!
  5. There are over 7,500 varieties of apples in the world and 2,500 in the US alone.
  6. The average American eats close to 20 pounds of fresh apples per year—and even more apples when you factor in applesauce, apple juice, and other apple products. This makes them America’s second favorite fruit. (Bananas rank as the #1 favorite, coming in at 28 pounds per person per year.)
  7. Washington State produces the most apples in America, producing 58% of the total apple count.
  8. Apples are part of the rose family.
  9. The first US apple trees were planted in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1600s.
  10. The average apple contains 10 seeds.
  11. Only one apple variety is native to North America: the crabapple. These apples used to be called common apples.

Bonus fact: Apple Blossom is Michigan’s state flower!

Did you learn anything new about apples today? Apples might be common, but there’s so much to learn about them. As always, if you’re looking for some of the best apples in Grand Rapids, stop by Robinette’s today! We’ll even make the apple cider so you don’t need to pick 36 apples to make your own.