This season is shaping up to be a good one for fruit trees across Maine. Whether you’re harvesting from your own trees or planning orchard visits, when you pick and how you store can make a big difference in the fruit’s taste and texture. Here are things to keep in mind as you plan to enjoy summer and fall fruits.
Mealiness happens to fruit as an enzyme breaks down the fruit’s tissue. Different varieties of fruit trees are more likely to become mealy, so some of it may be outside your control. To mitigate mealiness, pick most of the fruit before it’s fully ripe. For stone fruits, you can leave a few on the branch if you like the tree-ripened taste too, said Renae Moran, a professor of pomology at the University of Maine.
Peaches
Depending on your location, peaches and other stone fruits like plums, apricots and cherries are ready now or will be soon. When the skin turns from green to yellow and mostly firm to the touch, they’re ready to harvest.
storage tips
Peaches won’t store in your refrigerator for more than a week without turning brown, mealy and fuzzy, so use them quickly. They’ll go bad even faster on your counter, but you can leave them out to ripen for a day or two.
If they ripen unevenly, it may be because one side of the tree received more sunlight on the tree.
It’s too late this year, but peaches (and most tree fruits) will grow larger and more flavorful if you thin them out. Moran likes to do this when they’re flowering by removing blossoms and taking another scan in late June to remove extra fruit she missed. Thin the fruit to about 6 inches to 8 inches apart.
Apples, in comparison, should be thinned after the fruit appears, according to Moran.
Plums
Like peaches, plums will taste best when picked before full ripeness and stored — unless, like with peaches, you want to leave a few on the tree. You can leave them on the counter to ripen for a day or two before storing them in the refrigerator.
The riper plums get on the tree, the more likely they are to crack. Heavy rains can also cause the fruit to swell and split, so make time to harvest if you know a storm is coming.
Cherries
Sweet cherries won’t keep ripening after you pick, so leave them on the tree until they reach the stage where you want them.
Pears
Pears and apples are related “pome” species that ripen from the inside out. So, when picking them, start from the outside of the tree and work inward, Moran said.
Unlike apples, pears need cold temperatures to ripen on the tree. This year, it looks like those temperatures will happen, Moran said. If they don’t, harvest your pears earlier and store them in your refrigerator. Different varieties also have different harvest schedules.
Apples
Some varieties are more prone to mealiness than others. Red delicious and macintosh are two of these, so pick them before they’re fully ripe and store them in the refrigerator. Apples do emit ethylenes in the fridge — chemicals which can make other produce turn more quickly – but they especially need the cold storage, and Moran said their effect on other food is often not noticeable.
fruit storage
For all fruits, color and firmness can be hints at when to pick, but you can also use the calendar.
If you like more firm and tart apples, pick at the beginning of the harvest window for your area and the tree variety. If you prefer them sweeter, wait until they’re “tree ripe.”
Harvest window will vary by the type of tree and your location.
When you start thinking about next year, wait until the spring for any fertilizing or pruning. If you put down nitrogen now, the fruit will become bland and soft, Moran said. When harvest is over, let the trees rest until it’s time to prune in springtime.
