When is apple-picking season? When are apples ripe? Venture out in fall and try these apple-harvesting techniques to bring home the best fruits that apple trees have to offer.
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Picking apples with friends and family is one of my favorite pastimes; I find it’s one of the best ways to build memories with loved ones. And early fall is the best time to go apple picking, because it’s the most reliable time for finding ripe apples. Different varieties are ready to be picked at different times, and specific climates affect harvest differently, but for the most part, fresh fruit will be ready to come off trees in September and October.
Orchards often have websites to announce when apples are ready to be picked. Signing up for newsletters will also keep you in the know about important crop dates.
When Are Apples Ripe?
Orchards have different rules to let you know which crops are ripe. Some might have flags or signs to indicate which fruits are ready to be picked and which ones are still growing. These places offer U-pick bags or other vessels to help you carry your plucked apples. The bags might cost a couple of dollars, and there may be an additional price for the number of apples collected or the weight of your bag.
Not every apple on the tree will ripen at the same time, so inspect each apple individually. The ones on the outside tend to ripen more quickly because of more direct sunlight. Fruit that’s higher up on the tree tends to be of higher quality than fruit that hangs lower on the tree. Apples that flowered earlier will ripen faster than ones that flowered later.
When you examine an apple, look at its background color. An apple might have several different colors on it, from yellow and red to purple and pink. If you have a predominantly red apple, try to look beyond the red. You might also see a lot of green that’s vegetative, which means it isn’t ready. If you have an apple with a background color that’s creamy yellow with little white dots or that’s a bit pinkish, that’s a good sign. You want the greenish color to fade or mute. This is true of many varieties, though some apples, such as ‘Honeycrisp,’ do retain a hint of green.
‘Granny Smith’ apples are ready to come off a tree when they have a pink or yellow blush or their interior is white. The fruit should be about the size of your fist.
Apple-Harvesting Techniques
When you find a ripe apple, don’t press the flesh with your fingertips; that will bruise the fruit. Cup the apple in your open palm, and in a circular motion, flip it gently so it comes off the tree. If it snaps off easily, that means the apple is ready to go. If you’re fighting the apple to come off the tree, then it isn’t ready. Leave stubborn apples on the tree; move on to fruit that drops with the slightest nudge.
Some apples grow on spur branches. If you yank an apple from a spur-bearing tree, you could damage or pull off the spur, which would prevent apples from growing in that spot for years.
How to Identify Spoiled Fruit
The first way to identify rotten apples will be with your eyes. Check apples for signs of browning, holes, or mold. If you pick a bad apple and notice it later, remove it from your bunch. Spoiled apples give off ethylene, which will cause the other apples to rot. Pick fruit that has an intact peel. Once the skin is broken, the process of browning will begin.
Gently squeeze the fruit. Apples that are starting to spoil will have a little give when you squeeze them. Healthy apples, on the other hand, will feel firm.
Toss mushy, brown apples in the compost pile. Keep healthy apples in a cool place, like a refrigerator drawer or a basement.
Avoid Ground Apples
Fruit that’s fallen to the ground is best suited as fertilizer or animal feed. The fallen apples could be contaminated with Escherichia coli, and they’re more likely to have been picked over by bugs or other critters.
Unless you have a special sanitizing process, you shouldn’t use the fallen fruit for cider. Pick apples off the trees, where they have a lower chance of spoilage.
Finding the Best Trees
A tree that has a lot of fruit underneath it likely has ripe crops. Another key to finding delicious fruit: Look in the trees for apples that’ve been picked over by birds. Avians can tell better than humans which apples will taste sweet.
A lot of apples underneath a tree means enough sugar is around the seeds that the tree feels it’s sufficient to let the fruit go.
Notice where the stem naturally lays. If it’s pointing down, all you may need to do is simply lift up the fruit for the spur to release it. Apples that are ready to go will come off the tree with the simplest of movements. You don’t need to wipe off the whitish bloom on the apples after picking them; the bloom helps preserve the apples and keeps them from drying out.
When Is Apple Picking Season?
The specific answer to “When is apple-picking season?” will be slightly different depending on the variety. The first apples to ripen in many areas are ‘July Red.’ As the season continues, the apples’ quality tends to improve. ‘July Reds’ come in a variety of sizes, but usually, they’re large with tender flesh.
Apples that ripen early in the season include ‘William’s Pride,’ ‘Bevan’s Favorite,’ ‘Zestar!,’ and ‘Gala.’ The nice thing about ‘Gala’ apples is they have a long season — from July to September.
‘Early Harvest’ apples are ready for harvesting as early as July and as late as September. When they’re ripe, they have white flesh and are juicy and tart. More often than not, ‘Early Harvest’ apples make for tasty baked goods.
Midseason varieties, such as ‘Granny Smith’ and ‘Fuji,’ are ready in late September through October. Varieties that ripen in mid-October through November include ‘Yates,’ ‘Liberty,’ ‘Suncrisp,’ ‘Black Twig,’ and ‘Arkansas Black.’ These varieties are often found in small orchards. All the apples in this group have distinct flavors and textures.
Tips for Cleaning Apples
Bruised apples will rot fast, so clean and eat these first. Wait to wash the fruits until just before they’re used. Washing apples too early can cause them to spoil.
Rinse fresh apples with cool water. For a deeper clean, wash the apples with cool water mixed with a teaspoon of baking soda. Eat the larger apples first; smaller apples store better and tend to stay fresh longer.
Audio Article
Cooking and Baking with Apples
For cooking, use sweeter apples for juices and sauces. If you’re making a pie, use a few different varieties, including at least one tart variety — with sugar, it will have an irresistible flavor. For the ideal pie, mix one tart variety with another as well as a sweet or sweet-tart apple. ‘Red Romes’ and ‘Empires’ will work beautifully as your sweet apples. An ‘Empire’ is considered sweet-tart because it has a sweet flavor but a tart aftertaste.
Layering a pie with different kinds of apples will give it dimension. Add a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice to sliced apples to prevent them from browning and to boost the overall flavor.
‘McIntosh’ and ‘Jonathan’ aren’t the best for pies; they’re more bitter-soft, which means they don’t hold their texture as well, so they’re more likely to get mushy. Instead, use a firm apple, like ‘Rome’ or ‘Empire’ — they’ll hold their form better for baking. It’s also a good idea to blend different apples for sauces.
Resources for Buying Apple Trees
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Andrea Lawrence is a freelance writer with 10-plus years of experience. She lives in St. Peters, Missouri.
