The appearance of fresh, crisp, local apples at farm stands, harvest festivals, in supermarkets and farmers’ markets signals that the best part of autumn is here. The taste of these juicy specimens spell delicious!

According to the New York Apple Association, New York State is second in the country for apple production, producing more than 25 million bushels of apples each year. Apple trees thrive in New York's climate with plenty of rainfall, good soil and favorable temperatures to grow apples.

If you need another reason to search out local apples, research shows that apples have lots of health benefits. Apples are a good source of fiber, vitamin C and pectin, a soluble fiber that can help lower your cholesterol.

Correct storage is the key to keeping apples crunchy and delicious. The best way is to store them in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator, according to Jen Reardon, Western Region Nutrition Education Coordinator for Cornell Cooperative Extension. The cool air helps preserve apples and keep them fresher than apples stored at room temperature. To keep apples fresh, store away from foods with strong odors such as onion, or with broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, cucumbers or leafy greens because apples give off a gas that can damage these vegetables and cause them to spoil more quickly.

Fresh pressed apple cider is another delight of fall. Most cider produced in New York State is either pasteurized or treated with Ultra Violet light. These processes, both approved by the Food and Drug Administration, kill harmful bacteria that could be in the cider. The New York Apple Association estimates that 95 percent of the cider sold in New York has been treated with one of these methods and recommends only drinking cider that has been treated to kill bacteria.

Here are a few tips for including fresh apples in your day. Also, download a few recipes below to try with your family that will provide lots of healthy nutrition and will become favorites to make again and again.

Try adding raw apples to salads and sandwiches, dipping slices in peanut butter or other nut butters for a healthy snack, adding something different to your brown bag lunch by including whole grain crackers, slices of reduced fat cheddar cheese and apple slices or cooking apples to make your own, fresh applesauce.