A friend, her 7-year-old son and I visited Eckert’s Belleville orchard Sunday, where we picked as many apples as we could carry. We went for a new favorite, Honeycrisps. This variety is aptly named: It’s sweet like honey and wonderfully crisp. It’s a fabulous apple to eat out of hand.

We also lucked upon an old favorite, Jonathans. They looked ripe, so I asked if they were ready for picking. The young woman working in the orchard explained that the picking season began the next day, but invited me to taste an apple and pick more if I liked. The apple I tasted was beautifully red and had the variety’s characteristic sweet-tart flavor. I picked about 10 pounds.

Jonathans are good eaten out of hand and work wonderfully in cooking. Here’s a favorite recipe, which my son got in a cooking class when he was in high school. We’ve been making it ever since.

HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE

Yield: 6 servings

5 large apples, such as Golden Delicious and/or Jonathan, peeled and cored

1 cup water

Granulated sugar or honey, optional

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional

Peel the apples; core and cut into large chunks. Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the apples, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 5 minutes. Cover the pan; cook 5 minutes longer or until the apples are soft.

Using a potato masher, crush the apples until the sauce reaches the desired consistency, making it as smooth or chunky as you wish. As you mash, the apples should absorb any remaining water. If desired, stir in sweetener to taste and cinnamon. Serve warm or cold.

PER SERVING: 74 calories; 0.5g fat (6 percent calories from fat); no saturated fat; no cholesterol; no protein; 19g carbohydrate; 16g sugar; 2.5g fiber; 1mg sodium; 6mg calcium; 145mg potassium.