Celebrate Michigan Apple Crunch Day Oct. 25
| 3 min read
Every October, schools, organizations, and businesses bite into Michigan apples on the same day, setting records for apples eaten.
Last year 400,000 people in Michigan ate a Michigan-grown apple on Apple Crunch Day. The effort is organized by partners at the Michigan Department of Education, Michigan Farm to School, Cherry Capital Foods and Cultivate Michigan as a reminder of the importance of agriculture and knowing where your food comes from.
This year Michigan’s Apple Crunch Day is Wednesday, October 25. Students and staff from Aspen Ridge Elementary in Ishpeming Township are among the thousands who have signed up to participate.
Morgan Neslon and Mason Hietikko, both age 10, are students in Ms. Young’s 5th grade class and are active in the school’s wellness team. Principal Chris Marana says Michigan Apple Crunch Day is a great way for the students to learn about the importance of eating healthy.
Aspen Ridge Elementary is a previous recipient of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Building Healthy Communities program.
“Our wellness team is active and the kids really enjoy it,” said Marana. “The students continue with a lot of the healthy habits learned through the Building Healthy Communities program, such as our yogurt bar and indoor recess equipment.”
Students and staff from Aspen Ridge Elementary in Ishpeming Township participated in Apple Crunch Day on Oct. 13, 2016. Pictured (left to right): Pam Roose, R.D., Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan; Morgan Nelson, Aspen Ridge student; Ms. Young, 5th Grade Teacher; Chris Marana, principal and Mason Kietikko, Aspen Ridge student.
To join in the fun, all you need to do is grab some local apples from your nearest market and register your group online at miapplecrunch.com. You can also celebrate the day by testing your knowledge with some fun apple trivia.
Check out these Michigan Apple fun facts, courtesy of Cherry Capital Foods:
- Apples are a member of the rose family.
- It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.
- The largest apple ever plucked from a tree weighed three pounds, two ounces, and was picked in Caro, Michigan.
- There are 900 family-operated apple farms throughout Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
- Michigan is the 3rd largest apple producing state in the country.
- Apples are Michigan’s largest and most valuable fruit crop, with a value of about $100 million annually.
- On average, Michigan harvests about 20 million bushels (840 million pounds) of apples per year.
- Apples are a great source of the fiber pectin. One apple has five grams of fiber
- The science of apple growing is called pomology.
Watch the video below to see photos from last year’s participants. If you are participating in Michigan Apple Crunch Day, you can share your photos with event organizers via email at [email protected].
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Photo credit: Angela Loyd, A Healthier Michigan
