This is an excerpt from the book called ” The Backyard Orchardist “ by Stella Otto. Continue reading to learn more about Fruit Tree Harvest and Storage, thanks to the author.
Harvest and Storage
Once your home orchard is growing and ready to produce its first crop, the question, “How do I know when the fruit is ready to pick?” will surely enter your mind. Fortunately, there are several ways to determine this. Experience will become your best guide.
When to Harvest for Fresh Eating
One way to determine a ballpark date for harvesting your fruit is by being aware of how many days have elapsed since full bloom. Research has shown that the time between full bloom and harvest is quite constant from year, regardless of the weather. Apples and pears, in particular, are quite dependable in the elapsed time needed to develop proper harvest maturity. The table below gives the normal ripening time needed for a few of the more common apple varieties. Similar information on pears can be found. Although each variety has its own requirements, these figures can be used as a starting point to aid in applying other maturity indicators.
| Days from Bloom to Harvest (Apple) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Variety |
Days |
Variety |
Days |
|
Cortland |
125-130 |
Mclntosh |
125-130 |
|
Golden Delicious |
140-145 |
Northern Spy |
145-155 |
|
Granny Smith |
180-200 |
Rhode Island Greening |
135-145 |
|
Gravenstein |
110-115 |
Wealthy |
120-125 |
|
Grimes Golden |
140-145 |
Winesap |
160-170 |
|
Jonathan |
140-145 |
Yellow Transparent |
70-95 |
For the backyard gardener desiring to eat most of the harvest fresh at picking time, harvest readiness can be judged by observing changes in skin color, or seed color, or simply by picking a few fruit to see how easily they come loose from the tree. Taste testing, for most varieties, is of course the ultimate indicator if you plan to use the fruit soon, rather than storing it for an extended time. Be aware, though, that there are some apple varieties that are considered long keeping storage types. They may not taste like much at harvest. Their flavor often mellows and improves after a month or two.
Most fruits will shows a change in the green under color (or ground color) of their skin as they ripen. The dark grass green will often change to a lighter yellow green and then to the respective ripe fruit’s normal skin color_ usually red, purple, or yellow. This change in tome of the green under color is a reliable indicator of approaching ripeness. Be careful, however; don’t rely heavily on the amount of redness. It is affected quite a bit by the amount of sunlight received just prior to harvest time. Seasons in which cool nights are accompanied by warm sunny days will encourage red color development. For apples, cloudy daytime conditions or warm nights often result in fruit that is a dull red and not extensively colored. A change in green ground color will occur regardless of the weather.
A change in seed color is another signal of approaching maturity in pome fruit (apples and pears). When the fruit is immature, the outside of the seed is a pale creamy white. As the fruit nears ripeness, the seed coating will turn first light brown and then dark brown in color. By cutting open a few sample fruit, you can easily check how rapidly picking time is approaching.
Some fruit, most noticeably the McIntosh apple and its related types, often show maturity by dropping a number of fruit from the tree if they are not picked soon enough. Many of the earlier maturing summer apple varieties ripen unevenly land will do the same. Often, by picking a few random fruit, you will feel how easily they come loose from the tree, another sign of maturity.
Most backyard fruit growers come to rely on a combination of these factors to decide when to start picking. What you intend to do with your fruit will also play a part in your timing. Fruit that you plan to eat fresh right away can be left on the tree until it is fully ripe. (For an exception to allowing pear fruit to ripen on the tree). Likewise, fruit that is meant for longer storage needs to be picked slightly under ripe so that it does not become over mature in storage.
Picking Technique
The thought of picking a fruit seems so elementary that you may question why one would even think to discuss it, but actually there is more to it than first meets the eye. How the fruit is picked can have an effect on both the quality and shelf life of the fruit and, in some cases, the amount of fruit produced by the tree the following season.
First, you should avoid bruising or otherwise physically damaging the fruit you are about to pick. This can be quite important since fruit that is bruised will age and spoil more quickly and rapidly lose quality during storage.
Second, trees that bear fruit primarily on spurs; as apples, pears, and plums do; rely on the spurs for future production of fruit buds. If the spurs are broken off in the picking process, eventually the productive capacity of the tree may be reduced.
For most fruit, using a “twist and lift” technique when you pick will make picking easier, while at the same time ensuring that the fruit and tree remain undamaged. Rather than just grasping the fruit in your hand and pulling toward you, cradle the fruit gently but firmly in the palm of your hand. Support the stem between your thumb and index finger. Then, slowly rotate your whole hand while lifting the fruit upward toward the spur. Assuming the fruit is ripe, it should release easily and cleanly from the tree. With a little bit of practice, you should soon be able to master this technique and picking will become an effortless, fluid motion.
When placing fruit in your basket or other picking container, be sure to do so gently. Many people do not realize that even an apparently hard pear or apple can bruise easily. One of the most common ways that fruit becomes bruised is from being dropped into the picking basket or handled roughly when sorted. Use of those basket–on-a pole type pickers can be a big culprit. (A far better solution is to keep the tree pruned to a manageable height).
Fruit will generally retain its quality better if it is picked with the stem still attached to the fruit. In most cases, if the fruit is picked with the technique just discussed, the stem will remain attached. Notable exceptions are peaches, nectarines, and plums. They typically separate from their stem when properly ripe. The stems can do more damage by puncturing adjacent fruits’ soft skins than can be gained by keeping the stem on.
Proper Fruit Storage Conditions
At some point, most backyard orchardists experience the mixed blessing of a “bumper crop”. In order to make use of the plentiful supply, some fruit may need to be preserved or stored for later use. Naturally you will want to store it so that it retains its “just picked” quality until you can use it. One of the most important factors in keeping fruit fresh is storage temperature. How fast fruit is cooled to that temperature is also important. Ideally, you should store fruit under refrigeration, with sufficient humidity to prevent drying and shriveling. The chart on the next page shows potential storage life at optimum storage conditions for a number of fruits.
Until not so long ago, the root cellar was used to store all sorts of produce. If you have access to one, it works as well as ever. For most of today’s home gardeners, a spare refrigerator in the basement or garage often takes the place of the root cellar. Both provide an important ingredient for proper storage_ cool, consistent temperature. Lacking an extra refrigerator, many people in locations with moderately cool winter temperatures have fared reasonably well by wrapping pears and apples in newspaper and storing them in a plastic bag inside a large trash can. Kept in a cool location, this can substitute for the old fashioned root cellar. If you use this method, though, it is critical to protect the fruit from actual freezing temperatures.
Two other considerations are important in storing fruit from the backyard orchard. First, as soon as possible after picking, refrigerate your fruit. It comes as a surprise to many people that a fruit picked in 80 or 90◦F heat may take several days to cool to 35◦ F at its core, even when quickly refrigerated. The longer the fruit is warm, the faster it will ripen and age. For each extra day that a harvested apple spends at 70◦F, it can lose a week to ten days of its storage life. Second, store it so that it will not dry out and shrivel, but so that it is also not so moist that it will rot.
| Storage Life of Tree Fruit (When held at 32-36 ◦F and 90-95% relative humidity) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Fruit |
Time |
Fruit |
Time |
|
Apple |
2-6 months |
Pear (Asian) |
2-6 months |
|
Apricot |
1-3 weeks |
Pear (Domestic) |
2-7 months |
|
Fig |
* |
Plum |
2-5 weeks |
|
Medlar |
** |
Quince |
2-3 months |
|
Peach/Nectarine -Clingstone |
2 weeks |
Sweet cherry |
2-3 weeks |
|
Peach/Nectarine-Freestone |
2-4 weeks |
Tart cherry |
3-7 days |
* Fig Should be eaten immediately at harvest at harvest. They only store at room temperature for 1-2 days at most.
** Medlar need to blet at room temperature for several weeks before their interior pulp becomes soft and edible.
To keep your fruit moist and juicy, storing it in a plastic bag or covered container helps. With wet fingertips, you may add a light sprinkle of water to the bag. For apples and pears, poke a few holes in the bag to avoid a buildup of condensation or of ethylene gas that will reduce the fruit’s storage life. Do not add water to stone fruits in storage. It can quickly encourage the growth of rots and molds in their very soft flesh. Also, be sure to check stored fruit within a day after putting it in refrigeration. Warm fruit often generates considerable condensation that can cause premature spoilage. Putting a few layers of paper towel in the bag with the fruit often helps absorb excess moisture and can be removed once fruit is cooled.
Following proper storage procedures, certain fruits benefit from additional ripening at higher temperatures. Peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, and pears ripen best when expose to 65 ◦F for 2 to 3 days. Apples and cherries are best when used directly from refrigeration.
