Apples are one of the fall fruits that take main stage this time of year, and with so many varieties available locally, it is a good time to head to your local orchard.

From tart winesaps and Granny Smiths to sweet red and golden delicious, there is an apple for everyone's taste.

At Tiger Mountain Orchards in Tiger, the apple season has just passed its peak, but owner Bob Massee said there is still plenty of apple goodness left.

"Right now we have red delicious and golden delicious available," he said. "We're two-thirds of the way through. ... We wind up about the time the leaves come off."

Massee said each year as the apple season progresses, his favorite apple changes, too.

"The one I like right now is golden delicious," he said. "They are real prime and good. The other one ... mutsu, it is a cross between a golden delicious and an apple called endo. But we have Fuji, which is a real late apple, and when it is time for it, that's my favorite."

Each apple has its own peak of flavor, he said, which is why his preferences change through the season.

"To start with, ginger gold is my favorite," he said. "But there is a time that they taste good to me, when it is just still real juicy and when you eat it, it pops."

At Jaemor Farms in Alto, the apples are a little late this year, which means there are still plenty available for picking.

Judah Echols of Jaemor Farms said he thinks the Georgia-grown apples are some of the best tasting apples in the country.

"Because of the soil and the weather conditions, they work very good and turn out to be some of the best tasting that you can get," he said.

In about a week, Jaemor will have 10 to 12 varieties of apples, with choices for bakers and snackers alike.

"Red delicious and golden delicious are both very good eating. You can't really cook red delicious but you can golden delicious," Echols said. "The Stamared winesap and the red Rome are very good eating, but they are a little more tart, so they are very good cooking - a little bit tangy, and you know that most people that are cooking them will add some sugar."

Echols added that Granny Smiths are the best apples for cooking, which is exactly what Gainesville's Dee Klein uses for her Apple of Your Eye Cheesecake that she bakes every year during apple season.

"They are healthy for you, and I just like apples," Klein said. "I did this for gourmet groups; it is really good with dinner when you don't want to have just that usual thing."

The cheesecake uses basic cheesecake recipe; it is the topping that makes the dessert different.

The cheesecake is topped with tart apples, lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon - then baked.

Once cooled, layers of caramel, pecans and whipped cream are added before serving.

Klein said she loves the recipe because, "I don't have to be doing all that work and have all that mess the day of while I'm doing other things. I always like to have something to do otherwise."

She also cautioned against using any form of Cool Whip instead of whipped cream.

"People like to use Cool Whip, but I don't want to ruin it ... always use whipped cream," Klein said.