Once autumn arrives, we are inclined to spend more time in the kitchen, the room that many consider the heart of the home.

With chilly days and nights, preparing comforting seasonal cuisine in the oven helps bring the warmth we welcome, unlike the heated days of summer, where we enjoy cooking and dining alfresco.

I’ve always wondered why I am hungrier come fall, craving hearty meals, many of which are seasonal favorites enjoyed throughout the years, especially soups, casseroles and stews, incorporating the bounty of fall … apples, pumpkin, squash and root vegetables. There are people who dig out those tattered and stained index cards, handwritten with recipes that were handed down through the generations.

Returning home from an afternoon of hayrides, finding your way through a corn maze, stopping at roadside farm stands and cider mills, you have probably worked up an appetite.

Additionally, stops at pick-your-own orchards connect us to nature and the harvest, while letting us enjoy the backdrop of the kaleidoscope of fall colors. I know I’d be ready to reap the benefits of the crops I picked by firing up the oven and preparing some of my favorites. The aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg and maple are so inviting and comforting as we retreat indoors.

It is the perfect season to pull “The New England Orchard Cookbook: Harvesting Dishes & Desserts from the Region’s Bounty” by Linda Beaulieu, with photography by Karen Peltier Riggert (2016, Globe Pequot, $24.95) from one of my bookcases.

If you are planning a trip to New England to enjoy magnificent colors that surround these orchards or would like to be inspired to add creative recipes to your repertoire, the book is ideal. It is filled with recipes from dozens of New England orchards, some that have cider mills and many that are iconic with rich histories. You’ll probably want to snap some photos of the scenery. Beyond recipes, the author takes you on a tour of the orchards, talks about life and work at these farms. The photography is superb.

Beaulieu begins by describing the nuances of various crops. She then covers the orchard cycle and etiquette. The chapters are broken down by the six New England states. The directory of orchards is helpful in choosing your route, depending on what states you wish to visit. You’ll find recipes sweet and savory, paying homage to local farm’s bounty. Let’s get cooking with these recipes.

Recipe from Smolak Farms, North Andover, Mass.

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

Filling:

4 cups cored and coarsely chopped apples (about 2 large apples)

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Crust:

¾ cup butter, softened

2 tablespoons cane sugar

2 cups oats (regular or quick cooking)

1 ½ cups white flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan

To make filling:

Combine the chopped apples, water, honey, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes or until the apples are slightly soft. Remove from heat.

For the crust: cream the butter and sugar in a latge mixing bowl. Reserving 2 cups for the topping, add the oats, flours, baking powder, and cinnamon. Mix well. Press the crust into the bottom of the prepared pan, and bake in the 350 degree oven for 12 minutes.

Spread the cooked apple filling over the baked crust. Sprinkle the reserved oat mixture over the top of the filling.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the top is browned nicely. Cook. Cut into bars.

Recipe from Belltown Hill Orchards, South Glastonbury, Conn.

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, roughly chopped

3 medium Golden Delicious apples

2 pounds carrots

14-15 ounces chicken or vegetable broth

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger

2 cups water

Half and half or heavy cream, as desired

Fresh chives for garnish

Directions:

In a 5-quart Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 12 minutes or until tender and golden, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, peel the apples and carrots. Cut each apple in half and use a melon baller to remove the core. Cut the apples and carrots into 1-inch chunks.

Add the apples and carrots to the onions. Add the broth, sugar, salt, ginger, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the carrots are very tender. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat.

Using a hand blender, puree the mixture right in the Dutch oven until very smooth. Serve the soup with a swirl of half-and-half or cream, if you like, and garnish with fresh chives.

Recipe from Russell Orchards, Ipswich, Mass.

The headnote says: “Brining has become a popular trend in recent years, first at innovative restaurants and then with home cooks. Brining is much like marinating, but the usual purpose is to moisten the meat rather than add flavor. Here, the talented cooks at Russell Orchards share their recipe for brining a turkey with cider.”

Makes 8 servings (with leftovers for sandwiches)

Ingredients:

2 quarts plus 1 cup apple cider

1 cup kosher salt

½ cup light brown sugar

1 cup soy sauce

16 whole black peppercorns

8 whole star anise pods

6 garlic cloves, smashed

6 scallions, white parts only, trimmed, split lengthwise

6 (1/4-inch thick) slices unpeeled fresh ginger

5 dried shitake mushrooms

2 cinnamon sticks

2 springs cilantro

1 ½ gallons cold water, plus 3 cups water

1 (12-14 pound) turkey

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 sweet-tart apples (Crispin, Cortland, or Granny Smith) cut into 6 pieces each

Directions:

Melted unsalted butter or vegetable oil

In a very large pot, bring the 2 quarts of cider and next 11 ingredients to a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Let cool to room temperature. Stir in the water.

Add the turkey to the brine and press down to submerge. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the brine. Season the turkey lightly inside and out with salt and pepper.

Place it, breast side up on a rack set in a large heavy roasting pan. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the remaining cup of cider and 3 cups of water in the roasting pan. Scatter the apples around. Brush the turkey with butter. Flip the turkey to breast side down. Roast the turkey, basting occasionally, for 1 hour in the 375 degree oven.

Using paper towels to protect your hands, flip the turkey. Roast, basting occasionally, until a meat thermometer registers 165 degrees, another 1-1 ½ hours.

Transfer the turkey to a platter and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile, strain the juices from the roasting pan into a saucepan, reserving the apples. Simmer over medium heat until the juices have thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve the cider jus alongside the turkey and apples.

Recipe from Blue Jay Orchards, Bethel, Conn.

Makes 3 loaves

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 1/s tablespoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

5 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 ½ cups vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups shredded zucchini (3 medium)

1 cup shredded apple (1 medium)

1 ½ cups chopped pecans

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. Set aside.

In another large bowl, combine the eggs, sugars, oil, and vanilla. With an electric mixer, beat at medium speed until well blended. Stir in the zucchini, apple, and pecans. Add dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spoon batter into 3 greased and floured 8 x 4-inch loaf pans (approximately 3 inches deep). Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow the breads to cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipes provided by respective orchards, courtesy of Globe Pequot Publishing.

Stephen Fries is professor emeritus and former coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College in New Haven, Conn. He has been a food and culinary travel columnist for the past 17 years and is co-founder of and host of “Worth Tasting,” a culinary walking tour of downtown New Haven, and three-day culinary adventures around the U.S. He is a board member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Email him at stephenfries.com">Stephen@stephenfries.com. For more, go to stephenfries.com.