People have been eating apples for a very long time. When the first pioneers (拓荒者) came to America, there were only small, sour apples called crab apples. These apples were not good to eat. Later, pioneers brought apple seeds from their homes in Europe (欧洲).
In 1625 a man in Boston planted the first apple orchard (果园) in America. After that, when a pioneer family picked a place to live, they chose an area and planted apple seeds first. Soon, there were many apple trees in America.
The pioneers used apples in many ways. They made apple juice, apple butter, and apple pie. Sometimes they used apples as food for their animals.
Today we have fridge and fruit shops. We have fresh fruits and vegetables even in winter. But the pioneers had no fresh fruits and vegetables during the long winters.
The pioneers soon learned how to preserve (保鲜) fruits and vegetables. They found that if they dried (使…变干) fruit, it would last and would not go bad. They could make apples last through the winter.
In autumn they picked the apples. Then many families would meet for a work party. They would talk and work at the same time. They peeled the apples and cut out the cores. Then they sliced (把…切片) the apples and laid them on a big net. About a week later, the apples were dried. They would keep for many months.
