Those who know me know that I am hopelessly infatuated with apples. And for good reason. My love of apples is rooted in childhood, when my parents regularly took my sisters and I for magical forays into pick-your-own orchards that glowed with the beauty of gnarled trees laden with fruit and the intoxicating scent of those ripe red and golden globes.

Besides the endless array of mouth-watering treats that use the fruit as their main ingredient, apples are the ultimate health food. They contain no fat, no cholesterol, no sodium and average only 130 calories for one large apple. Apples are an excellent source of fiber and provide Boron, an important mineral that supports brain function and helps children’s bodies to use calcium.

Pennsylvania produces roughly 440 million pounds of apples every year, making the state the fourth largest apple producer in America. Varieties range from Ginger Gold, which ripens in August, to September apples like Honeycrisp, to those that finish in October, such as Fuji, one of my personal favorites. Learn more about Pennsylvania apples and enjoy free recipes from the Pennsylvania Apple Marketing Program.