Pasta with apples, ham and cheese (Provided photo — Yvona Fast)

We live in apple country. Have you visited your local orchard lately?

Whether to pick apples or just buy some, eat cider donuts and other goodies, or just hang out, an orchard can be a fun place!

From the eastern tip of Long Island west to the Niagara frontier, New York state is second in apple production in our nation — with over 600 orchards and about 29.5 million bushels of apples harvested each year. There are many apple varieties named for places in New York — like Rome and Cortland.

And orchards have more than apples! Fall treats include pumpkins, squash, baked goods and maple products.

A couple of weeks ago at Burville Cider Mill near Watertown, I bought delicious apple bread and apple crisp — still warm! They also had great maple products. I purchased maple coffee and a maple cream cheese spread.

About a month ago, I bought apples and apple baked goods from Prairie’s Orchard in Malone. On Tuesday at Rulf’s Orchard in Peru, I tasted apple cider ice cream for the first time and bought a pie. They also had apple butter, apple jelly, apple jam, apple spread and apple preserves. At Bankers Orchard in Plattsburgh, I spent time watching the goats and tried a cider donut — not nearly as good as those I had last week.

What can you do with all those apples? Orchards have lots of ideas! In addition to applesauce, apple products include chutney, cider jelly and apple butter.

Serve crackers topped with cheddar and apple slices as an hors d’oeuvre at your next party. Add apple slices to your next grilled cheese sandwich. Add them to all types of salads, from common fruit or cabbage to Italian panzanella. Make an Indian-themed apple curry. Add them to soups. Make apple bisque. Apple pot pie. Casseroles, like apples with ham and rice. Skillets like Rotini with apples and kale. Pork or chicken stir-fry. The ideas have no limits.

Trips to an orchard can be fun for the whole family. And you can get ideas for new apple treats to buy or make at home.

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Pasta with apples, ham and cheese

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Ingredients:

8 ounces rotini pasta

A couple strips of bacon (or a couple teaspoons of olive oil)

1 red onion (or other onion) — 1-2 cups diced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 or 2 sweet potatoes, or carrots

1 bunch kale

4 apples (I used MacIntosh)

8 ounces diced ham or kielbasa

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.

Cook bacon until crisp, remove to paper towels and set aside.

Peel and dice the onion, sprinkle with salt, add to bacon drippings and cook on low 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sweet potatoes or carrots and kale, stir in and cook on low about 5 minutes. Add some pasta water or some broth, and cook another 10 minutes or so until cooked through. Core, peel, chop apples, add with ham or kielbasa and cook 5 to 10 minutes until soft.

When everything is tender, taste; season with salt, pepper and a little cider vinegar to your taste. Stir in cheese, allow to melt, and serve over cooked pasta, or stir pasta in when you stir in the cheese. Serves 3 to 4.

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Red cabbage salad

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Ingredients:

1/2 head red cabbage

2 apples

1 white or red onion

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

Directions:

Chop or shred cabbage roughly, and steam for a couple minutes, drain and cool. Core and dice the apples, peel and dice the onion. Combine vegetables in salad bowl and toss with lemon juice, sprinkle with salt and olive oil, and mix well to combine.

This salad is best made a little early, so the flavors have a chance to blend.

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Author of the award-winning cookbook “Garden Gourmet: Fresh & Fabulous Meals from your Garden, CSA or Farmers Market,” Fast lives in Lake Clear. She can be found at www.yvonafast.com and reached at yvonawrite@yahoo.com or on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter: @yvonawrites.