North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[david liezen <chandos49@hotmail.com>]

If there were only six kinds of apples in the world, this would be a 
slam-dunk. But no, some are prone to premature drop, some will hang on 
through winter, long after ripeness.

I check seed color, bring out the refractometer and check Brix, and maybe 
even then wait to see how things develop.
 Seasonal variation effects ripeness: early heat in summer such as we had in 
E. WA this year followed by a cool fall has made for en extended harvest. 
Early types quite early, and the later continuing to develop flavor yet.
I have a seedling apple whose seeds turned brown a month ago, but while the 
Brix remains about 13, the flavor just gets better. A gentle lift and twist 
won't work with this apple since it has practically no stem. 
So, a judgment call, but that keeps us out with the trees, doesn't it?

Dave Liezen, zone 5 (USDA) or 6 (Arbor Day)


----------------------------------------
> Date: Sun, 13 Oct 2013 23:05:19 -0500
> From: sherwindu@att.net
> To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: [nafex] When to pick an apple
>
> There appears to be several criteria around for determining
> when to pick an apple. The most prevalent one is when the
> seeds turn dark brown or black. My experience is that I get
> more sweetness if I leave the apples on the tree beyond this
> point.
>
> Another theory is lift the apple gently and if it comes off, it
> is ready for picking. This generally works for me, but some
> apples will stubbornly hang on no matter how ripe they get.
>
> One theory that I usually follow is to wait for a few apples
> that are not damaged to fall. This works for mid and late
> season apples, but could lead to over ripeness in early apples.
>
> Of, course, tasting the apple is the ultimate test.
>
> I'm interested in other people's thoughts on this.
>
> Sherwin Dubren
> Morton Grove, IL
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