“The Apple Cookbook: 125 Freshly Picked Recipes.” By Olwen Woodier. Storey Books. $14.95

I’ll admit it. This time of year, I’m a fool for apples.

It’s Maine, so it’s off to our favorite pick-your-own orchard the first weekend the air gets crisp. We get the doughnuts. We drink the cider. We ride the tractor.

But mostly we swoon over the apple trees, racing around the orchard and picking out our favorite varieties: the crisp McIntoshes with bright white flesh, the deep red Cortlands and bright green Granny Smiths. Back home, we have more apples than we know what to do with.

Which is why I desperately needed “The Apple Cookbook: 125 Freshly Picked Recipes,” to put those lovely Maine apples to work.

The cookbook, by Olwen Woodier, who also teaches cooking classes at her Virginia farm, aims to feed the mind and eye as well as stomach. There are beautiful photos, essays citing the health benefits of apples, Woodier’s thoughts on heirlooms versus hybrids, and tips on saucing and freezing apples. The cookbook offers an interesting history of apples, and detailed descriptions of the origins, traits and best uses for dozens of varieties.

It even explores the history and features of heirlooms like the “sheepnose,” so named for its looks, and the “winter banana,” an Indiana variety that tastes a bit like bananas.

More importantly for me, whose usual apple repertoire is limited to desserts, there is also critical information about the effect of various cooking techniques, and a comprehensive listing of which apple varieties are the best for eating, freezing, baking, salads or baking whole.

The 125 recipes cover the gamut from breakfast items like apple frittata and several apple breads to main courses and desserts. I went with a full fall harvest recipe, with onions and pork to make a delicious stuffed pork tenderloin.

The only thing bad about it was that the two-apple recipe didn’t put much of a dent in my still-bursting bag of apples. But there are 124 more recipes to go.

— NOEL K. GALLAGHER

PORK TENDERLOIN STUFFED WITH APPLES

You will need kitchen twine to make this recipe. The stuffing can also be used in split boneless chicken breasts, which you would bake for only 20 to 25 minutes.

Serves 4

1 pork tenderloin (about 1½ pounds)

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

2 medium apples (Jonagold, Stayman, Winesap, Fuji) peeled if desired, cored and thinly sliced

1 medium white onion, chopped

1 cup fresh bread crumbs, made by processing 2 large slices of stale bread

½ teaspoon dried marjoram

½ teaspoon dried savory

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more if needed

GLAZE:

4 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon brown mustard

1. Split the tenderloin almost in half lengthwise. Place in between two sheets of wax paper and pound it to about ½-inch thick.

2. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and onion and sauté until lightly browned and soft, about 5 minutes. Add the bread crumbs, marjoram and savory, and toss with the apple mixture until moistened through. Remove from heat.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

4. Season the inside of the tenderloin with the salt and pepper and spread the apple stuffing over the surface.

5. Roll the tenderloin lengthwise and tie with kitchen string. Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the teaspoon of oil and brown the pork on all sides, drizzling in a little more oil if necessary. Place in baking dish.

6. To make the glaze, combine the honey, brown sugar, vinegar and mustard in a small bowl.

7. Pour the glaze over the tenderloin and bake for 45 minutes, basting with the glaze 3 or 4 times. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.