APPLE HARVEST: Picking fruit for fresh eating can be a guessing game for those of us that don’t do it on a regular basis. Penn State Extension has shared tips for harvesting apples. The first step is to know when the variety typically matures in your area.

Depending on the variety, maturity dates can start in south central Pennsylvania as early as July with ‘Yellow Transparent’ or as late as November, as with ‘Pink Lady’.

The color of the apple also plays a key role in knowing if it’s ripe. Fruit coloration, of course, depends entirely upon the variety and should be “true to type”: the characteristic foreground (flush) and ground colors for the variety should be fully developed and match what is expected.

Observing the foreground color is easy. The ground color, not so much. Ground colors vary from white to yellow to green when mature. Apples with a strong, consistent foreground color like ‘Red Delicious’ or ‘Nittany’, or those with a tendency for russeting in the basin (bottom indentation where the flower was) or cavity (area near the stem) may make observing the ground color a challenge.

The “feel” of an apple is another indicator. The apple should be firm, but not hard.

In mature fruit, the seed coats should be brown. Cut open an apple and take a look. And while you have the apple cut open, taste and smell it. If it’s too starchy and not sweet, then the rest of the apples may need to stay on the tree for a few more days. It should smell like an apple. The fragrance should be apparent when the apple is ready to be picked.

Any one of these techniques, alone, will not determine the ripeness of an apple. However, using all these methods should help you make the right decision when picking this delicious fruit.