7 Apple-Picking Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Harvest—and What to Do Instead

With that hint of fall in the air comes peak apple-picking season. But a few common apple-picking mistakes can result in underripe, overripe, or otherwise imperfect fruit. Here are the most important things to avoid as you hit the U-pick farms or harvest from your own backyard apple trees—and what to do instead to pick perfect apples for all your crisps and crumbles.

1. Tugging Fruit Off the Branch

When you spy the perfect apple, it's natural to just grab for it. But if you have to pull an apple off the branch, it's not at its peak ripeness—plus you risk separating the stem from the fruit. Instead, softly grasp the fruit with your palm, with your thumb near the stem. Gently lift it toward the branch and twist it. If it's ripe, it will come off the branch with ease. If it doesn't, don't tug—it's not ready to be harvested yet.

2. Shaking Branches

Giving branches a shake can seem like a smart shortcut for getting a bunch of fruit at once. But resist that impulse. When apples fall to the ground, they often bruise—making them not only less appealing to eat, but more prone to spoiling. Plus, shaking branches can loosen more apples than you want, ultimately wasting food.

3. Not Inspecting Fruit Before You Pick

Failing to fully inspect an apple from all sides can lead to disappointment in the form of a worm hole, black spots, or a bruise. The ideal apple for picking has smooth skin that's clear of blemishes.

4. Ignoring Color

Different apple varieties turn different shades when they're at peak ripeness. Failing to keep that in mind can lead you to pick a fruit that's not ready to eat. If you're picking from a backyard tree, be sure to research your particular apple variety; if you're visiting an orchard, ask what color to look for before you start picking.

5. Throwing Apples Into Your Basket

Again, treat apples gently. Tossing them into your harvest basket or bag as you go about your harvest can bruise them—and no one wants bruised fruit.

6. Picking Fruit Off the Ground

Apples that have fallen to the ground are easy pickings, right? But unfortunately, by the time apples have fallen to the ground, they're overripe, not to mention more likely to be bruised.

7. Assuming Apples Will Ripen in the Kitchen

Unlike some other fruits like bananas, apples don't continue to ripen once they've been picked off the tree. They will get softer, but their sugar level and flavor won't increase once they're sitting in your kitchen. So don't pick apples that don't look and feel ripe, even if you're craving apple pie, stat.