This week I managed to pull out a particularly perfect windfall apple and share it with my daughters. The first juicy crackle transported me back to my childhood garden, where my swing and rope ladder swayed in the shade of apple trees. My mom and I feasted on fresh apples every day during apple season, taking for granted the intense apple-lemon sherbet flavor of freshly picked fruit. At the end of the summer, we would visit a house on the outskirts of our town where a lady was selling little red Beauty of Bath apples from her garden; the flavor was sublime, but the gift of each fruit was the red flesh under the skin, fading to the delicate pink of apple blossom; each bite reveals a new color palette.

Reminiscences of childhood aside, what was surprising about the taste of the freshly battered apple was that it was very different from a supermarket apple. At home we had a bag of organic New Zealand apples which the children chose (against my protests about airfreighting food). There was no comparison; the supermarket apple had little flavor, no crunch, no nice texture, just a little sweet, but no flavor. The picked apple was brimming with flavor, texture, and goodness. Apples, along with all produce, are much tastier when fresh. A supermarket apple languishing under a sign proclaiming “fresh fruit” can be 6 months to a year old. Many apples are treated with a gas that prevents them from ripening or rotting, and imported apples can spend nine months in storage and another three months in a warehouse before they reach you. There is concern that one of the gases used, l-methylcyclopropene, may be carcinogenic in large doses.

The UK apple season is here, and there really is no excuse to buy imported apples, although you will still find that most supermarkets sell mainly imports. Waitrose, however, sells the largest number of apples in the UK and has also bought fruit that would fall short of the usual supermarket standard of perfection, in a bid to promote more natural products and support British farmers and growers who have been so affected. because of the terrible UK weather.

Apples are known to contain chemical residues. One pesticide, chlorpiphos, banned in the US in 2000 in garden products and severely restricted in agriculture, is still approved for use on UK apples despite serious health concerns. In 2005, the government’s Pesticide Residue Committee tested 63 apple samples and found residues in all but 7 (none in the organic apples tested), all EU apples contained residues and two samples contained levels dangerous to children . Apples can also be waxed to make them look appetizing, but they may contain fungicides; you may choose to thoroughly wash and clean the apples, possibly by peeling them. If you find this a concern, make sure all baby food and children’s fruit are organic and free of hazardous residues.

You can find good UK apples at your local farmers market; or from your local box scheme. If you’re going to be driving through the countryside for the next month, keep your eyes peeled for roadside vendors, but put aside the image of the apple store; real apples have lumps, bumps and character, but they smell divine. There are hundreds of different varieties of apples available in the UK, including some fabulously named varieties such as Bastard Rough Coat, Falstaff, St Edmunds Pippin and Slack-my Girdle. At our local farmer’s market in Bristol, Days Cottage sells a selection and mix of exciting varieties to try, including later in the season apples that will last through the winter, different types of cuisines and eateries with a huge range of different flavors and qualities. Quinces are also available in season and will perfume the room in which they are kept with a sublime and soft aroma. You’ll also find pressed apple juices and ciders.

Although the apples will ripen after they are picked, I can’t resist apples straight from the tree; we have two small potted apple trees that I bought for my daughter’s first birthday (her name is Apple Blossom), which means they have come with us every time we’ve moved, and were suitable for our little garden when she was a baby . Apple trees will also feed bees at apple blossom time, as well as being incredibly beautiful. Alternatively, you can go out for fresh apples between now and winter. You can find some apple trees in unkempt urban settings, or in country hedgerows or at the edge of the woods. The best places to look for fruit trees are along disused canals and train tracks, where discarded apple cores, carelessly tossed from a train or ship window many years ago, have sprouted into unknown tree varieties.

Last year we found an apple tree by the side of a Cornish beach, brimming with tiny, tasty green fruit. We filled our pockets with them and feasted on them for a couple of days; pulling one out of a pocket whenever we fancied a snack. Even fruit that looks misshapen or damaged can be prepped and cut into pieces, but watch out for wasps when you’re harvesting windfalls! The windfall will make a great chutney to keep or give away for Christmas. At this time of year, apples go perfectly with blackberries for cakes, crumbles and cobblers. For a more figure-friendly crumble, substitute half of the crumble mixture for jumbo oats and serve with plain yogurt instead of cream. Another of my favorites is the baked apples and pears with cheese for after dinner or lunch. Cut the apples and pears in half, and lightly butter them, placing them in a baking pan. Bake at moderate temperature for 20 minutes, or until fruit is cooked but not too soft. Serve with mature cheddar or other cheese and oatcakes, thinly slicing the fruit on top of the cheese and cracker. Eat accompanied by a glass of traditional organic cider.

The apple is probably our most popular and versatile fruit, and yet we’ve been content to munch on those nasty, tasteless pale imitations available in supermarkets across the country. Celebrate the wide variety of colors, flavors, and smells, and look for the true flavor and goodness of your local varieties. Take a long walk through the late-summer countryside this weekend and be sure to bring a basket; you can find a reward that will amaze you and fill your belly when you come home with sore and hungry feet.

Happy haggling!

Vikki.