Picking fruit at the proper stage of maturity is of vital consideration in orchard operations and the home garden as well. Harvesting when convenient, or when labor is available, cannot be a guide to the proper picking time. All too often fruit of inferior quality, both for storage and for the ultimate consumer, results from such practices. Fruit that is harvested “too green” is likely to develop storage diseases such as scald and bitter pit. Such fruit tends to shrivel and its quality is impaired. Over-ripe fruit, on the other hand, breaks down rapidly, is mealy, lacks high dessert quality, and is subject to soft scald in storage.
Over the years studies have been made of the ripening process to create indices of the ripening process. Among the factors that were considered were:
- increase in the size of the fruit
- change in the color of the seeds
- change in color of the unblushed side of the fruit
- the development of the blush (red) color of red varieties
- softening of the fruit
- number of days from full bloom to maturity
- ease of picking
After considering all of these indices for picking fruit at proper stages of maturity, it was generally agreed that no one index in itself could be used. It was recommended that all of the various indices be used together to guide the grower in picking fruit at the right stage of maturity. It is also wise to keep in mind. that the right stage of maturity is not an arbitrary time but differs with the variety and with the use for which the fruit is intended. Peaches, for example, are generally picked at a more advanced stage of maturity if they are to be marketed close at home than if they are to be shipped a distance to market. Pears are one of the few fruits that must be picked green regardless of whether they are to be used in a short time or are to be stored.
Harvesting Peaches
Peaches are usually of best dessert quality when picked firm-ripe or tree-ripe. In Illinois years ago, it was found that peaches were of good quality if picked to ripen 4 to 5 days after harvesting. However, most folks prefer to pick peaches ripe enough to be used for culinary purposes the same day they are harvested.
The gauge usually employed in determining time of picking is the change of the ground, or green portion of the peach, to a cream-white on white fleshed varieties, and from green to greenish-yellow or orange-yellow on yellow-fleshed varieties. Ease of picking is also a valuable index. With peaches as with apples, “spot” picking or picking over the tree several times is considered advisable.
Gathering Pears
Pears must be picked when green because, if allowed to ripen on the tree, they become soft at the core. The size of the fruit is as good an index to use for the average grower as is case of picking. Occasionally, one will find an insect-infested pear ripening on the tree. This may seem like a simple and certainly avoidable index of maturity for the remainder of fruit on the tree, hut actually it has some practical value. Usually when one finds such fruit, it is time the variety should be picked.
Bringing in the Apples
Apples are picked both for immediate use and for storage. For either purpose the time of picking should be the same. The change in ground color from leaf-green to light, greenish-yellow is a fairly reliable index to picking. However, some varieties will drop badly, if allowed to remain on the trees to this stage. Red strains of varieties complicate using change in ground color as an index of maturity. Golden Delicious should be allowed to become a golden color before picking. Green Golden Delicious apples do not change color after picking and are starchy and of poor quality if picked green. Red color and case of picking may be used as indices, but may not be reliable if used alone.
Judging from the good and bad points in using only one index to determine time of picking, it would seem wisest to use a combination of all the indices. These will include degree of softness, ground color and surface color, dark color of seeds, size, firmness, and ease in picking. In addition, the experience of the grower, himself, is of utmost value in determining time of picking. If the grower will cut an apple in two and cat a portion, he can in part determine whether or not he considers the fruit of high dessert quality for the specific variety.
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