Creative cooks can get a lot of mileage out from apples, a best buy at isle grocery stores this week.

The ubiquitous fruit is Washington state's No. 1 agricultural crop, fetching about $776 million yearly; some 83 million boxes or bushels reach markets each season.

"I always have apples in my kitchen," says acclaimed chef Kaspar Donier of Kaspar's restaurant in Seattle. "They don't go bad," he explains, and are easily pressed into service in a pinch.

Apples rubbed against a fine grater and mixed with fresh horseradish add a tart-sweet "salsa" to pork chops, or even fish, says the Swiss-born chef.

To dress up a salad of mixed greens, Donier likes to slice apples on a mandoline, combine the thin rings with a tiny bit of sugar and fresh grated ginger before placing them on a cookie sheet and crisping them about 25 minutes at 250 degrees. Sprinkle the resulting "chips" atop the salad.

Of course, apples are natural partners to cheese and nuts - a welcome change from the usual sweet dessert. Try apples with a ripe Camembert and walnuts; dry Jack cheese and pistachios; cheddar and peanuts; aged Gouda and roasted chestnuts; or best of all, Stilton and a favorite port.

Other produce best buys include, at Daiei: Maui round eggplant for 88 cents a pound, Island Fresh cabbage for 38 cents, tomatoes for 68 cents (69 cents at IGH) and island medium eggs at $2.39 for 2-1/2 dozen.

Also, bananas appeal at 49 cents at Safeway, solo papaya is 99 cents at Star, broccoli and cauliflower are 58 cents at Foodland, and frozen silver salmon is $1.69 at Star.