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Apple Picking Checklist

Easy 21 items · 1 day
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testuser Published 6 days ago
Lifestyle

Apple picking season in most of the US runs from late summer into October, and the varieties ready on the trees change every week or two. Check the orchard’s website or social page on the morning you go. Many orchards post which blocks are open and which apples are ripe, and a busy weekend can leave the ripe rows picked over.

This list is for a day at a pick-your-own orchard: what to check before you leave, what to bring, how to pick, and how to keep the apples once they are home.

Teach kids the picking move before you reach the trees. Lift the apple upward and give it a twist. Pulling straight down can tear off the short spur the apple grows on, and that spur carries next year’s flower buds.

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  1. Check which varieties are ready this week — Orchards usually post it on their website or social page.
  2. Check opening hours and whether you need a timed ticket — Some busy orchards sell weekend entry in advance.
  3. Check the forecast and the orchard's rain policy
  4. Find out how the orchard charges and what payment it takes — Most charge by the bag or by the pound, and some farm stands take cash only.
  5. Ask about dogs before you bring one — Many orchards keep pets out of the rows.
  6. Decide what the apples are for — Firm, tart apples such as Granny Smith hold their shape in a pie. McIntosh breaks down quickly and suits applesauce.
  7. Wear closed shoes that can get muddy — Rows are uneven and fallen apples are slippery.
  8. Pack water, sunscreen and hand wipes
  9. Bring a wagon instead of a stroller for small children — Orchard rows are grassy and rutted.
  10. Put a sturdy box in the car for the ride home — Apples rolling loose in a trunk bruise.
  11. Ask whether tasting in the rows is allowed
  12. Show children how to pick before they start
  13. Lift each apple up and twist it off — Pulling down can rip away the spur that carries next year's buds.
  14. Leave any apple that does not come away easily — A ripe one parts from the branch with a gentle twist. If you have to tug, it is not ready.
  15. Start with the outside and top of each tree — The apples that get the most sun ripen first.
  16. Never shake branches or climb the trees — Use the orchard's ladders only where it allows them.
  17. Set apples into the bag instead of dropping them — A bruise turns brown and soft within days.
  18. Stop before the bag holds more than you can use — A full bushel is roughly 40 pounds of fruit.
  19. Sort the apples when you get home — Eat or cook the bruised and cut ones first. One rotting apple makes the ones touching it rot faster.
  20. Store the rest in the fridge — They stay crisp far longer cold than on the counter. Keep them away from vegetables, which spoil faster next to apples.
  21. Wash apples right before you eat them, not before storing — Damp apples rot sooner in storage.
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