An Apple a Day

An apple a day keeps the doctor away is a very old saying and now we are finding out that it may be true.  There was a very interesting article in the March 6th edition of The Sunday New York Times Magazine.  It is called "Death Takes a Rain Check". It is about an 87 year old billionaire's quest to live until he is 125.  David Murdock, a self made billionaire, "saw the light" about twenty five years ago when his wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1983.  While he was seeking treatments that might save her life he started to research what the  impact of diet/food choices might have in surviving debilitating illnesses.  In the years since his wife's death, Murdock has set up a research facility and one of the projects is to study the extent to which quercetin, found in the skins of apples, can have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body.

 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/magazine/06murdock-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

Here is a very  easy way to get your apple a day and use up all the fruit you have in your refrigerator that is past it's prime.

Into a large 6 quart pot add:
4 apples cored and cut into eighths (use any apple you prefer)
2  ripe pears cored and cut into eighths
1-2 cups of raisins
2 TB honey
8 cups of water (enough water to cover the fruit)
You can also add any other fruit that you choose such as red grapes or strawberries.
Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.  Once it has cooled transfer to storage containers and refrigerate. 

Yields about 12 servings at 100 to 150 calories per serving (depending on how many raisins you add).