Advice please: timing on harvesting apples

16 years ago

Over the past four years I have slowly planted nine apple trees on MM111 rootstock, which I selected for drought tolerance. Five of them have produced a modest crop this year. I'm trying to decide when to harvest them. I'm a little dubious about the harvest times I've read, given that climates vary widely. One of the apples that has produced this year is a young Empire. I've read that it ripens late. Well, the apples on my tree look dead ripe. Since there are about a dozen on this tree I decided to taste one.

It was fabulous! I planted this tree for my DH, and I had never tasted this variety before. The flavor was wonderful, juicy and with a crisp flesh, much better than any apples of its parents (Red Delicious and Macintosh) that I'd ever eaten. It's hard for me to believe that I should not eat these now, and it is August, which is hardly "late" in apple harvesting terms.

I have fewer apples on the other four trees, so I hesitate to experiment much and waste them all before they are any good. The other varieties are Winesap, Kidd's Orange Red, Winter White Pearman, and Newtown Pippin. I don't want to pick them before they peak, but there is some time pressure. My dog steals fruit off the trees, and these trees are still in her range.

Rosefolly

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Comments (3)

Axel
16 years ago
Rosefolly, apples in the warm Summer yet medium to high chill Central California climates usually ripen way earlier than anything advertised in the literature. I also noticed that my empire apples are getting close to being ripe. I am also a zone 16/thermal belt. I have some varieties of apples that ripen a good two months before "they are supposed to". I tasted one of my empires, and I want to give mine another 3 weeks. My Macs on the other hand are really just about ready.

My advice is not to go according to anything you read. You have to just taste the apples. I usually go by smell. When the apples begin to emit noticeable fragrance, it's usually a pretty good clue it's time to pick. Empire apples just keep getting better and better on the tree, so if you can find a way to keep your dog away, it's well worth the effort.

You can also gently pull up on an apple. If it gives, then it's usually ok to pick even if the apple isn't at it's peak. You may still need to let them finish off on the counter until they emit the ripe fragrance.
applenut_gw
16 years ago
Rosefolly;

What the dog doesn't get, the raccoon will; he's checking them every night waiting for the peak of ripeness, as they're very particular. Follow his lead and harvest them when you start seeing them disappear.

Applenut
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rosefolly
Original Author
16 years ago
Oh dear, here it is the ground squirrels, not the raccoons. I lose a lot of fruit to them, especially plums. I have learned to pick my plums and peaches a couple of days before they hit peak ripeness. And I don't think I'm going to get any melons at all this year. The squirrels keep tasting them to see if they are ready yet. Now I'm going to have to watch out for the apples, too.

Fortunately they don't seem to like the cucumbers and pumpkins. And so far they don't seem to be going after the figs and grapes. My fingers are crossed on that one.

So, if I use the 'slip' test, that is, if the apple stems separate easily when I gently lift the fruit, I won't go too far wrong? Meaning that they may not be quite at the peak, but they will be close and can finish off on the kitchen counter?

Rosefolly