Hey, fruit growers!

[spindrifter]

How do you tell if apples and pears are ripe on the tree? I have zero farm experience but have an opportunity to pick some of these fruits.

[SoCalDem]

1. Pull one off and taste it

:)

[spindrifter]

2. I didn't want to waste any if I didn't have to...

[Warpy]

8. Apples are super ethylene producers

and if the fruit feels just a little too hard after you pick it, put it into a paper bag with at least one piece of it an apple. The ethylene gas the apple gives off will speed up the ripening of the pears.

The way I tell if fruit is ripe in the market is by giving it the sniff test down near the blossom end. If it smells like fruit, it's generally ripe enough to eat.

[eleny]

3. What varieties of apples and pears will you be picking?

Ripe pears are never hard like rocks, btw.

[spindrifter]

4. I don't know. They are "wild."

[NMDemDist2]

5. a ripe fruit will be fairly easy to twist off

the green ones hang on like the dickens IME

[politicat]

6. On apples, look for the "ground color"

When you look at the skin of an apple around the stem, it should be red, brown or yellow (depending on variety). If it's green, it's not ripe. (This is useless if they're red delicious or cameo or other highly colored apple.)

Unripe apples are hard. Ripe ones give a little when squeezed.

When you pick, make sure that you take the stem with the apple, but be sure that you lift up from the branch and twist a little. There's a spur next to the apple on the branch, and you want to make sure that stays on the tree (that's next year's blossom.).

Pears are a little trickier, but a lot more forgiving. Pears will continue to ripen after picking, and don't do so well if they're picked late. As far as I can tell, pears have a 2 nanosecond time period between being under-ripe, and only useful for throwing at bullies, and being over-ripe and only useful for perry (pear cider.) Many of the same pick characteristics apply to pears, but getting them judged right is a bit harder and the best way is to taste. There are so many varieties though that judging by color is harder. If they're tender to the touch, they're ripe.

[spindrifter]

7. That is very helpful. Thanks!

[Dora]

9. Pears are difficult.

If you let them ripen on the tree for too long, they develop grit and aren't nearly as pleasant to eat.

I haven't yet figured out the exact "when" to pick pears off of our tree. But I don't have any fruit this year, so no loss.

It's my understanding that your pears will no longer be rock hard, and will give slightly when pressed at the stem end. They may continue to ripen somewhat after picking, but don't keep them at room temperature for too many days (I think it's that aforementioned grit). They keep best stored cool or cold.

Be sure to keep the ground underneath the pear tree free from fallen and rotting fruit. The methane that the rotting fruit gives off will cause other (unripe) fruit to drop. That's the advice I was given by a landscaper I met last year.

[Stinky The Clown]

10. We grew up with two pear trees in the yard ......

When the ground got to be a soppy mess of bee-infested dropped fruit we picked it.