Palm Beach, Fla. — Although you will find apples in the produce section of the local market year-round, they are a seasonal fruit. Now is the height of the harvest that began in September and will end in November.

Apples are a member of the rose family and can be grown almost anywhere in the continental United States.

Most of the apples eaten in the United States come from Washington, Michigan and New York. Half of the U.S. domestic crop is processed into applesauce, jellies, juice and other apple products.

The other half of the fresh apples on the market are preserved by a process known as "controlled atmosphere," or CA, storage developed in the 1940s. CA keeps apples in good condition three to six times as long as normal cold storage and, because of this process, apples are available throughout the year.

Cold temperatures keep apples in a state of suspended animation. It prevents them from ripening further after they are picked. Some apples are covered in a tasteless wax that gives them a shine and helps preserve them. The wax can be rubbed off before eating or the skin can be peeled.

Unprocessed organic apples and apple products also are becoming more widely available.

Ripe for the picking

Americans love apples. They consume per capita — including processed apple products — about 50 pounds a year. A 3½-ounce apple has 59 calories, is rich in fiber, has some vitamin C, beta carotene (if you eat the skin) and potassium. Because apples are fibrous, juicy and non-sticky, they make an excellent tooth cleaner and gum stimulator.

Apples are picked at the peak of ripeness. Any additional ripening translates into decay. This process speeds up tenfold when apples are left at room temperature rather than being refrigerated.

If you have had the experience of selecting a perfect Red Delicious apple and biting into it, only to find mushy, tasteless flesh streaked with brown near the core, you have experienced the effects of poor storage.

There are three types of apples: those best for eating raw, those best for cooking and those that are good for both. When selecting apples, make sure they are firm and hard. If you can dent the flesh with your finger, chances are the inside will be mushy.

Apples should be well-colored for the variety. The skins should be tight, unbroken and unblemished.

At home, they should be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper, where they will keep for up to six weeks. Check them every so often because the adage is true: One bad apple will spoil the rest.

There are about 7,500 varieties of apples grown all over the world, 2,500 of those in the United States. But just 16 varieties account for 90 percent of the domestic apple production, and of those, only eight account for 80 percent of the apples we eat.

Juice, cider and brandy

Apple juice can be clarified (filtered to remove all of the pulp) or unclarified.

Apple cider is unclarified and made from fruit that has been ground to a pulp and pressed to extract its juice. It may be sweet, (unfermented) or hard (fermented) and can be made from a combination of tart and sweet apples.

Sweet cider is a native New England and American drink. Hard cider is a traditional drink in England, Northern France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

There are many kinds of hard ciders on the market. The Green Mountain Cidery in Middlebury, Vt., makes sparkling ciders from a variety of apples. Amber is both sweet and tart, Dark & Dry gets its color from the addition of caramelized brown sugar and Granny Smith has a tangy spin. These ciders come in 12-ounce bottles and contain 5 percent alcohol. They can be served as a before-meal aperitif or with a sandwich or bowl of chili for lunch or dinner.

Calvados is a brandy from Normandy that is distilled from cider and then aged in oak barrels. The best Calvados is aged 12 to 15 years. The famous Trou Normand is served in the middle of a large meal, usually a holiday feast, to clear the palate and aid digestion.

It is not unusual in France to go into a café in the early morning and find groups of workmen standing around the zinc (the coffee bar) drinking café calva, an espresso with a shot of Calvados. A "wee dram" seems to get them off to a good start.

Apple Pie

Pastry crust

21/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup shortening

1/3 cup ice water

Pie filling

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

6-7 cups peeled, sliced tart cooking apples

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the crust: Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut shortening into flour with a pastry blender or two knives. Do not over mix. The particles should be the size of peas.

Add water gradually, sprinkling 1 tablespoon at a time over mixture. Toss lightly with a fork until all particles of flour have been dampened. Use only enough water to hold pastry together when it is pressed between the fingers. It should not feel wet.

Divide the dough in two equal portions. Roll dough into a round ball, handling as little as possible. Roll out crust on a lightly floured board into a circle, 1/8-inch inch thick and 1 inch larger than the circumference of the pan.

Makes 2 crusts (one for top and one for bottom of pie).

For the pie: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 9-inch pie pan with one of the pie crust discs. Mix sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Place apples in a large bowl. Add the sugar, spice mixture and toss thoroughly. Place the filling in the crust and dot with butter.

Roll remaining dough for top crust. Decorate with your favorite design, leaving enough holes to allow steam to escape during cooking. Moisten edges of crust with cold water. Press top and bottom edges together tightly with tine of a fork or with your fingers.

Bake pie for 50 minutes or until crust is well-browned and apples are cooked through. Serve hot or cold. Serves 6-8.

Sweet Potato Apple Salad

Adapted from Taste of Home magazine

Tart apple provides a crisp contrast to mellow sweet potatoes in this autumn salad. Try a dash of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of kosher salt just before serving to bring out the flavors.

2 sweet potatoes (about 1¼ — 1½ pounds)

¼ cup olive oil

½ teaspoon grated orange zest

2 tablespoons orange juice

¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest

1½ teaspoons cider vinegar

1½ teaspoons granulated sugar

1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

1½ teaspoons finely chopped onion

¾ teaspoon poppy seeds

1 tart apple, quartered, cored and sliced

1 green onion, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel the sweet potatoes, cut into quarters and place in a saucepan with a lid. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil sweet potatoes until just tender, about 10 minutes. Rinse with cool water and cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a jar or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid, combine the olive oil, orange zest, orange juice, lemon zest, vinegar, sugar, mustard, onion and poppy seeds. Cover and shake well.

Cut cooled potatoes crosswise into half-inch slices. In a 2-quart bowl, layer one-fourth of the sweet potatoes, apples and green onions. Drizzle with one-fourth of the salad dressing. Repeat the layers three times.

Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Toss just before serving. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4.

Scotch-Baked Apples

Baked apples are so easy and so rewarding — all the comfort of a pie but without the crust. Use an apple that will keep its shape during baking but that isn't too tart, such as Winesap or Rhode Island Greening.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup dark brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

4 medium apples, peeled and cored, left whole

½ cup scotch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. The mixture does not have to be smooth. Fill the core cavity of each apple with the mixture, then pour the scotch over each apple, making sure that the alcohol soaks into the apple's cavity.

Bake in a shallow dish for 1 hour, 15 minutes. If the scotch evaporates too much during baking, add a little water to the dish to keep the apples moist. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if desired. Serves 4.

Apple Pumpkin Butter

Use a high-starch, flavorful apple such as McIntosh, Rome or Paula Red for this old-fashioned spread that's perfect for biscuits, toast or pancakes.

6-8 medium apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup (8 ounces) apple cider or apple juice

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon allspice

1 (14½-ounce) can pumpkin

Combine apples, apple cider, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks and allspice in a large stew pot on medium-high heat. Cook until apples are translucent and very tender, about 45 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks. Mash apples, using a potato masher, until they are coarse and pulpy (a food processor can be used for a smoother butter). Add pumpkin and combine well. Heat again over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture simmers.

Ladle into sterile jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Process the jars in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. Alternatively, the apple butter can be kept in containers, tightly sealed, in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. Makes 8 to 10 half-pints.

Noodles With Kielbasa, Cabbage and Apples

Adapted from a Time-Life Books cookbook series, "Great Taste, Low Fat"

A mustardy sauce made right in the pan with the other ingredients suits kielbasa and cabbage well. Carl Clymer of Duluth, Ga., prefers Red Delicious apples, but any crisp red apple will do.

8 ounces "yolkless" egg noodles

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 pound kielbasa, cut into ½-inch rounds

1 apple, cored and diced

2 cups fresh shredded cabbage

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, defatted

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon cornstarch

In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles until just tender. Drain well. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add onion and kielbasa and cook until the kielbasa is lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the apple, cabbage and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the cabbage is just tender, about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, mustard and cornstarch. Add mixture to the skillet and cook until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. (For more sauce, add more broth.) Transfer kielbasa mixture to a large bowl and add noodles. Toss to combine. Divide among 4 bowls and serve. Makes 4 servings.

8 greats

Red Delicious: It accounts for half of the domestic crop. The skin is thin but tough, and the cream-tinged green flesh is crisp, juicy and sweet. It is best when eaten raw or used in salads. It is not recommended for cooking because it disintegrates and loses most of its flavor.

Golden Delicious: Even though this apple in shape and flavor looks like a version of a Red Delicious apple, it is an entirely separate variety. It is an all-purpose apple that can be eaten raw, used in baking and cooking. It has a freckled golden yellow skin and, when sliced, does not darken as quickly as other varieties.

Granny Smith: A bright green variety, originally from Australia and now grown on the West Coast, it has a crisp flesh that is often hard and slightly acidic. It is a dual-purpose apple because it retains its shape and distinctive tart taste when cooked.

Jonathan: It is a deep-red, small to medium apple with yellow undertones. It has juicy, firm, yellow flesh that will keep its shape when used in pies and other desserts.

McIntosh: This green-red apple is a parent variety to many other apples, such as Cortland and Empire. It is very juicy, with a distinctively tart flavor. It is an excellent eating apple, and the texture, when cooked, becomes exceptionally smooth. This apple bruises easily and should be handled with care.

Rome Beauty: This apple has a deep red flush and stripes. It is a favorite for cooking because it holds its shape and has a sweet taste. As an eating apple, it can be bland and mealy.

Stayman: A good all-purpose apple with white flesh and a deep red-to-purple skin. It is mildly tart and juicy.

York: These slightly lopsided apples have a pinkish red skin with yellow spots. The flesh is yellow and moderately juicy. These are excellent for baked apples because they hold their shape.