If you’re looking for a fruit that combines zesty flavour with serious health benefits, green apples are your go-to choice! These tart, crisp delights are not only a refreshing snack but also a nutritional powerhouse.

Green apples are rich in fibre, particularly pectin, which promotes healthy digestion and keeps you feeling full longer. Their green hue is a sign of high levels of antioxidants like vitamin C, which helps strengthen your immune system and fight off free radicals.

Elevate your dishes

Chef Siphe Ntsabo from Parklands, Cape Town, explains that apples offer a variety of uses, including boiling, stewing, baking, heat drying, and steaming.

“Apples add a splash of colour and a crunchy flavour to stir-fries, serve as a healthy snack on fruit and cheese boards, and blend beautifully into homemade fruit juices.”

She says green apples shine in raw salads, such as green apple salsa, and equally go well in smoothies. They also complement roasted pork tenderloin, work well in baked pies, and can be used to make homemade chutney. Ntsabo adds that green apples make a tasty addition to breakfast dishes like oatmeal, bran flakes, or seed mixes.

Be sure to try Chef Sipho Ntsabo’s Waldorf salad to get a zesty, yummy, crunchy taste. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

The power of green apples

Kulani Mtileni, the founder of Dietitians24 and a registered dietitian from Polokwane, Limpopo, explains that green apples contain more malic acid compared to red or yellow apples.

Malic acid is responsible for their tart taste and contributes to the fruit’s higher acidity, which can aid digestion and boost energy levels, he explains.

“You can enjoy these apples raw, juice them, or add them to salads and other dishes, but make sure to keep the peel on.”
Kulani Mtileni

Green apples offer numerous health benefits, including promoting weight loss, improving hair quality, and invigorating the skin. They protect vision, enhance digestion, and are rich in dietary fibre.

Mtileni adds that they strengthen joints, detoxify the liver, boost the immune system, and may reduce the risk of asthma and cancer.

Ideal for diabetes management, they also support metabolism, enhance liver health, and may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, they aid in blood clotting, have anti-ageing properties, and act as a safeguard against inflammation.

“Including green apples in your diet can help regulate your bowel movements, prevent constipation, and promote a healthy gut.”

Mtileni advises eating green apples on an empty stomach because it help produce healthy cells and helps fight chronic conditions.

Nolubabalo Mzize is a horticultural scientist based in Citrusdal, Western Cape. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

Growing green apples

In Mzansi, the Western Cape leads in apple production, while the Eastern Cape follows with less production, according to Nolubabalo Mzize, an MSc graduate in horticultural sciences from Stellenbosch University, now based in Citrusdal.

She explains that apples are planted by transplanting seedlings into the soil with a spacing of 4m x 1.5m, using either a north-south or east-west row orientation and a training system.

“Apples require at least eight hours of sunlight a day during the growing season.”
Nolubabalo Mzize

Simbongile Lingishi, a horticulturist from the Eastern Cape department of rural development and agrarian reform based in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, explains that green apples thrive when planted in July, though spring is also a good option.

Simbongile Lingishi is a horticultural scientist with the department of rural development and agrarian reform in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

He highlights that getting the soil ready before planting is crucial for a successful apple crop.

“Trees use water efficiently when irrigated early in the morning and late in the afternoon.”

Lingishi also advises that maintaining irrigation post-harvest and throughout winter is key, as this is when the flower buds for the next season’s fruit are formed.