Pick or wait? Three ways to tell when an apple is ripe
Lift gently, taste and look at the pips. Here is how to weigh up the signs and decide which apples can go into the basket today.
The apples look lovely on the tree, but are they ready? Start by testing a few fruits. Variety and weather affect harvest time, so a date cannot tell you everything. Neither can a rosy cheek: fruit can colour up before its flavour has developed.
1. Lift the apple gently
Cup the fruit in your palm, lift it upwards and give it a slight twist. An apple that is ready to pick usually comes away with its stalk attached. If you have to pull hard, leave it and try again later. Test fruit from several parts of the tree; they may not all ripen at once.
“How do I know when the apples are ready to pick?” is the question behind the photograph at the top. It is a good starting point for a small harvest routine: take a basket outside, but decide what to pick only after testing the fruit.
2. Taste a sample apple
The apple should have developed its flavour and feel juicy and crisp. If it is still astringent or lacks aroma, try another fruit and give the rest more time. Some varieties are more tart than others; a sharp apple is not necessarily unripe. Knowing the variety makes comparison easier.
3. Use the pips as another clue
Brown pips are one sign of ripeness. Consider them alongside the flavour and how easily the fruit comes away. Pip colour should help your decision, rather than deciding on its own whether the whole tree is ready to pick.
What do the results tell you?
Several signs point to ripeness
The fruit comes away easily and its flavour has developed.
Next step: Pick the ripe apples gently and come back for the rest later.
The signs are mixed
The apple has good colour but is firmly attached or lacks flavour.
Next step: Hold off on a large harvest and test a few more fruits later.
You do not know the variety
You have no familiar harvest date to compare it with.
Next step: Use the tests together and note when the fruit tastes right to you.
Windfalls are a separate question
Apples can fall for reasons other than being ready to harvest. Natural thinning, damage and various stresses can all play a part. Examine the fruit on the ground and test some that is still on the tree. A few fallen apples do not mean the whole tree is ready.
Sources and images 6
- How do I know when the apples are ready to pick? ↗Reader question and image
- Can the pips tell me whether an apple is ripe? ↗Reader question and image
- Why do apples fall from the tree before they are ripe? ↗Reader question and image
- RHS: growing and harvesting apples ↗Reference
- University of Minnesota: fruit drop ↗Reference
- Iowa State University: knowing when apples are ripe ↗Reference