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Late September to early October is not
unusual for Red Delicious, depending on the EXACT CULTIVAR.
Picking them early doesn't hurt if they are stored correctly. Our Dixie
Red Delicious were our best ever this year and have lasted in refrigeration
through this past Monday when we cleaned out our remaining inventory for the
Society of St. Andrews. You will want to refrigerate them at 34 degrees,
not 40 though. Don't let them get above 35 because breakdown can
begin at 36 degrees.
The higher the holding temperature, the greater the softening and respiration rate and the sooner the quality becomes unacceptable. Apples respire and degrade twice as fast at 40 F as at 32 F. At 60 F they will respire and degrade more than six times faster. The optimum storage temperature for apples depends on the variety, but all are within the range from 30 to 40 F. Most apple varieties are best stored at or near 34 F. Apples are moderately susceptible to freeze damage at 27 F and will freeze at 25 F. Temperatures more than 1 or 2 degrees below freezing should be avoided for storage. Hope this helps.
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