Here’s another fruit that — before you start really paying attention and eating with the seasons — you might think was a year-round staple. But in fact, apples are a
cool-weather crop. Late September to Thanksgiving is the prime time for fresh-picked apples, and there are so many ways to enjoy
them.

Perhaps apple pie has a boring reputation, a dessert as unadventurous as vanilla ice cream. But whether you go for an old-school formula or shake things up a bit with a new recipe like candy-apple pie, when you have an adorable apple-shaped pie dish, would could resist?

Maybe cake is more your speed. Upside-down, topped with caramel, or sprinkled with walnuts,
there’s a recipe for every mood. Apples and cheese are delightful
together, in a homey sort of way. But bring this age-old pairing into
the modern era with Apple-Chardonnay Ice Cream with Bulgarian Sheep Cheese, or an Deconstructed Apple Tart with Goat Cheese Mousse.

You can always drink your apple a day. Sure, there’s cider — both the hard and the non-alcoholic sort — but what about an autumnal Apple Sangria or a Delicious Sour cocktail? Or, if you’re a fan of uncooked apples — perhaps as a lunch-sack treat — consider a cozy, an old-fashioned ‘sweater’ that protects ripe fruit from bruising and gouging.