Connecticut Garden Journal: How to spot when apples and pears are ripe for the pickin'
Description
It's apple and pear season and time to start harvesting. Actually some varieties are already ripe, but most will be harvested this month. If you're growing apples or pears in your yard, going to a pick your own orchard or just foraging for wild trees, it's good to know when to harvest. If you harvest too early the flavor isn't great. If you wait too long, the texture can be mealy or mushy. Pears are unusual because they should be picked when ripe, but still hard, to finish ripening indoors.
Here's some tips to harvest apples and pears. First, try to remember the variety you're growing. There are early, mid and late season varieties that will naturally ripen at different times. This will help you know when to start checking. Check the background color of the fruit. Many varieties will turn red in fall, but it's the background coloring that you need to check. When it goes from a green to more yellow, the fruit is probably ripe.
Of course, if there are fruit on the ground, that's a sign of ripeness. Also, gently lift the fruit so its horizontal. Twist and give it a slight tug. If the fruit comes off easily, go head and pick. Fruits on the outside of the tree canopy will ripen sooner than those in the center of the tree, so don't feel like you have to pick them all at a once.
Finally, if you have lots of fruits, pick one and cut it in half. If the seeds inside are brown, then it's ripe. If they are still light colored, wait.
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