COOKING WITH APPLES; APPLES DELIVER UNBEATABLE TASTE HOWEVER THEY ARE SERVED

Warm apple pie, fresh from the oven, and a crisp, clear day -- it's the stuff of autumn dreams.

But with tree limbs in local orchards hanging full of the ripening fruit, and produce shelves brimming with colorful varieties of the fresh produce, it's a dream easily realized.

Whether featured in a savory dinner dish or eaten out of hand, apples bring unbeatable taste however they are served. Recipes for savory dishes abound.

Helen Wilson of Jackson is among those who find many uses for the delicious fruit.

"Apples are so good here this time of year," she said. "They're so versatile."

When it comes to this year's apple crop, the apples are just beautiful, said LaDonia Beggs of Pioneer Orchard in Jackson. "The flavor is out of this world."

Customers at Pioneer can choose from several varieties of apples, each of which has particular strengths. Three of the most popular types of apples locally are red delicious, golden delicious and Jonathan.

"People are always asking which is a good pie apple," Beggs noted. While each variety of apple has particular traits, the answer often depends on personal preference.

"When using apples, any apple can be used for anything," Beggs said. Plus, they are all excellent eaten uncooked.

She explained that some apples have a sweeter flavor, while others are tarter. And, some apples tend to keep a firmer texture than others when cooked.

"For the person that enjoys a sweeter taste, that's your golden delicious and your red delicious," she said. "More tart apples include the Jonathan, the winesap, the whetstone and the red Rome. The tart apples are more exclusively used for pies, apple butter -- for cooking."

Wilson favors the Jonathan apples, noting that golden delicious are excellent cooking apples also. "Jonagolds are a good combination of the two," she said.

The tartness in the Jonathans "gives your recipe a lot more flavor," Wilson said. "They do take a little bit longer to cook than other apples. They're a very firm apple."

Flavor is at its peak when apples are at optimum maturity, and color is the key to determining maturity, not apple size, explains a publication called "Fall and Winter Apples," available through the University of Missouri Extension.

While Wilson has recorded recipes for some of her apple dishes, many of her tried-and-true recipes are filed in memory. Apple pie is one of them.

"I usually figure on five apples per pie," she said, chuckling as she thought about the steps of preparation that time has turned to habit. "I add some sugar and use some flour, and I keep putting cinnamon in till it gets as dark as I think it ought to be, then I add a little nutmeg."

Like many experienced cooks, she prepares pies and other delicacies ahead of time and freezes them. "It makes it so nice in the winter, because you don't have to worry about pastries or peeling your apples or anything. It's real handy," she said. Plus, the pies freeze so well that there is no sacrifice of fresh taste.

Wilson offered these hints for using apples in ways that children love.

-- When preparing jello, add about a cup of apple sauce. She uses her homemade apple sauce. "Just cut back a little bit on the cold water or ice cubes, depending on what you use," Wilson said. The apple sauce brings a texture to the jello that children love. Wilson usually uses cherry, raspberry or strawberry jello.

-- Melt a little margarine in a small frying pan, add either a half or a whole package of red hots, add sliced apples -- leave the peeling on. Cover and simmer, stirring often, letting the contents steam. The dish, she said, "is really good with just a regular meal."

-- Add a few drops of red food coloring to homemade apple sauce before serving. "It's more appealing with a little color," she said.

-- Courtesy of Helen Wilson

Applesauce Cookies

Mix together these ingredients: 2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

Add these ingredients: 1 cup English walnuts or pecans, and 1 cup of raisins. Set aside.

Mix: 1/2 cup oleo or Crisco, and 1 cup of sugar.

Mix: 1 teaspoon baking soda into 1 cup of applesauce. (Use a large dish as this tends to enlarge because of the activation of soda on the applesauce).

Add egg to the shortening and sugar.

Mix the sugar mixture with the applesauce mix. Then add the dry ingredients. Drop by tablespoon onto greased cookie sheets and bake 10-15 minutes in a 375-degree oven.

Makes about 4-5 dozen cookies.

Can be iced with caramel icing, as desired.

Raw Apple Cake

Mix together the following ingredients and set aside: 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, dash cloves, 1 teaspoon soda.

Mix: 1 cup sugar and 1 stick oleo or 1/4 cup shortening.

Add egg, then dry ingredients, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. (This will be very thick.)

Add: 2 1/2 cups peeled, chopped (real fine) apples and 1/2 cup nuts.

Bake in loaf pan at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Cake is tasty without icing.

Amish Waldorf Salad

Drain 1 large can of chunk or crushed pineapple. Add water to juice to make a cup. Mix into pan 2 cups of sugar, dash of salt, 1 1/2 Tablespoons of cornstarch. Add the liquid and cook until thickened, (stirring all the time). Set aside to cool. (In sink of cold water works fine.)

Mix with the drained pineapple: 1/2 cup chopped celery, 2 cups Thompson's grapes (slice in half), 4-5 diced apples (do not peel). Mix the cooled dressing with the fruit and serve. This will last several days in the refrigerator.

Storage and preparation tips

From publications available through the University of Missouri Extension.

-- Protect cut apples from darkening by mixing with fruit juice -- lemon, orange, grapefruit or pineapple -- before adding other ingredients.

-- Keep apples cool (below 40 degrees, if possible).

-- Refrigerate apples in the humidifier compartment or in a moisture-resistant container. Allow for some ventilation.

-- Fall apples will keep longer refrigerated than those from cold or controlled atmosphere storage.

-- One bushel of apples weighs 48 pounds and will make 32 pints to 40 pints of canned or frozen apple slices or 30 pints to 36 pints of applesauce.

-- Quick-peel apples for cooking by dipping them quickly in and out of boiling water. The skin will come off much more readily.