Picking Apples and Pears

Apples and pears are some of the hardiest fruits we grow in Kansas. A question I often get is how do you know when to pick apples or pears? Several varieties of pears and apples are ripe and ready to pick, but how do you know when they are ready to harvest? For apples, there are a couple of factors that play a role in determining when to pick the fruit:

• Days from bloom- many varieties list how many days from bloom until the apple is ripe. Weather can influence the number of days, but as a rule of thumb, you can get pretty close with this measure.
• Flesh color- As apples ripen, the flesh turns from light green to white. Pick an apple and cut it open. If it’s green, it’s not ripe yet.
• Seed Color- As the apples ripen, the seeds turn green to brown, signaling the fruit is ripe and ready to eat.
• Color change- As apples mature, the skin color around the stem and at the bottom turns green to light yellow. This isn’t always reliable in red apples, which may be red instead of yellow.
• Flavor- If you know what this variety is supposed to taste like, you can use flavor to indicate that the fruit is ripe.

Pears are ripening through October; however, unlike apples, we don’t wait until pears are fully ripe to harvest them. Pears develop a gritty texture if left to ripen on the tree. Pears that are ready to harvest change to a darker green color, and some varieties have brown spots on the skin. The fruit will separate easily from the stem when ready to be picked. Pears should be stored at refrigerator temperatures for two days to several weeks, depending on the variety, then left on the counter to ripen for several weeks.

 

Have questions? Contact our office where our Horticulture Extension Agent will assist you with questions.

Phone: (316) 321-9660

Email: callae@ksu.edu