4 min read
How to pick strawberries
The first field of the year almost everywhere, and the one people most often pick underripe.
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Most people picktoo early
Almost none of this fruit ripens after it comes off the plant. Pick it green and that is how it stays, which is why a bad haul usually comes down to a few minutes of knowing what to look for.
4 min read
How to pick blueberries
The most forgiving fruit on this list, and the one where patience pays most.
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3 min read
How to pick raspberries
The most fragile thing you will pick, and the easiest to tell when it is ready.
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3 min read
How to pick blackberries
Black is when most people pick them, which is usually two or three days early.
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4 min read
How to pick sweet cherries
A three-week season in most places, and the pick that most rewards turning up on the right weekend.
Read guide
3 min read
How to pick tart cherries
Montmorency and its relatives, grown for pie rather than for eating out of hand. Worth a trip if you bake, and a short season even by cherry standards.
Read guide
4 min read
How to pick peaches
One of the few fruits here that genuinely improves after picking, which changes how you should choose them.
Read guide
3 min read
How to pick nectarines
A peach without the fuzz, and less forgiving because there is no fuzz to hide the damage.
Read guide
3 min read
How to pick plums
Wildly different between varieties, so the farm will tell you more than any general rule.
Read guide
5 min read
How to pick apples
The longest u-pick season in the country and the one with the most varieties, most of them ready on different weeks.
Read guide
4 min read
How to pick pears
The one fruit here you should pick before it is ripe, because a pear ripened on the tree is gritty at the core.
Read guide
3 min read
How to pick concord grapes
The smell of a Concord vineyard in September is the reason to go, whatever you end up doing with the fruit.
Read guide
4 min read
How to pick pumpkins
Half the reason American farms open to the public at all in October, and the one pick where what you do with it decides what you choose.
Read guide
3 min read
How to pick figs
Southern farms mostly, and worth going out of your way for, because a shop fig has never been picked ripe.
Read guide
Guide
How to Pick Strawberries
The first field of the year almost everywhere, and the one people most often pick underripe.
Red all the way to the shoulder, where the stem meets the fruit. A white or pale green shoulder means it stays sour, because strawberries do not sweeten once picked
Pinch through the stem about half an inch above the berry rather than pulling, which tears the crown and shortens the plant
Leave the green cap on. A capped berry keeps for days, a hulled one weeps within hours
Lift the leaves and look underneath, where the ripest fruit hides from birds and from everyone who came before you
Do not stack more than about four inches deep in the container, or the weight bruises the bottom layer before you reach the car
Best Time
Early morning while the fruit is still cool. Berries picked in afternoon heat go soft on the drive home.
Storage
Refrigerate unwashed and uncovered for three to five days. Washing before storing is what makes them mushy, so rinse only what you are about to eat.
Guide
How to Pick Blueberries
The most forgiving fruit on this list, and the one where patience pays most.
Colour is not enough. A berry turns blue several days before it is sweet, so give the cluster a gentle roll with your thumb and take only the ones that drop on their own
Look for the dusty pale bloom on the skin. It rubs off on handling, so a berry that still has it has not been picked over
Cup a hand under the cluster and tickle rather than pull, so the ripe ones fall and the rest keep ripening for whoever comes next week
A red or pink shoulder near the stem means it needs more time. It will not improve in the container
Bushes ripen from the outside in and the top down, so the shaded middle is usually where the untouched fruit is
Best Time
Mid-morning, once the dew has dried. Wet berries mould in the container.
Storage
Two weeks refrigerated, unwashed, which is far longer than any other berry here. They freeze whole on a tray better than anything else you will pick.
Guide
How to Pick Raspberries
The most fragile thing you will pick, and the easiest to tell when it is ready.
A ripe raspberry slides off its core and leaves the white plug behind on the plant. If the core comes with it, it was not ready
It should need almost no force at all. Any tugging means wait
Use two fingers and a thumb, and put it straight in the container rather than collecting a handful, which crushes the ones underneath
Keep the container shallow. Raspberries stacked deep turn to jam under their own weight
Fall-bearing varieties fruit again in September in much of the country, so a summer visit is often not the only one
Best Time
Early morning. Raspberries picked warm collapse faster than any other fruit here.
Storage
Two days, and that is optimistic. Refrigerate in a single layer, do not wash until you use them, and freeze anything you will not eat tomorrow.
Guide
How to Pick Blackberries
Black is when most people pick them, which is usually two or three days early.
Dull black, not shiny black. A glossy berry is still tart, and the shine dulls as the sugars finish
It should detach with barely any pull. A blackberry that resists is not ready, whatever colour it is
Unlike a raspberry, the core stays in, so a solid centre is normal rather than a sign you picked it early
Wear long sleeves on thorned rows and check the underside of the canes, where the biggest fruit sits out of the sun
Berries that have gone soft and dark red are overripe, not underripe. Leave them
Best Time
Morning, after the dew has gone and before the day heats up.
Storage
Three to four days refrigerated and unwashed. They freeze well spread on a tray, then bagged once solid.
Guide
How to Pick Sweet Cherries
A three-week season in most places, and the pick that most rewards turning up on the right weekend.
Pick by the stem, not the fruit. A cherry pulled off its stem tears the skin and starts spoiling within hours
Take the stem off the spur carefully, using a thumbnail if it resists. Stripping the spur removes the wood that would have fruited next year
Deep and even colour with a taut skin. Dark red for most sweet varieties, amber blushed with red for Rainier
Cherries do not sweeten after picking, so taste one from each tree before you commit to filling a bucket under it
Split skins mean rain landed on ripe fruit. Those are still fine to eat today but will not keep, so eat them in the car
Best Time
Morning, and early in the week after a dry spell. Rain during ripening splits the fruit.
Storage
A week refrigerated with the stems still on, unwashed. They lose sweetness at room temperature faster than you would expect.
Guide
How to Pick Tart Cherries
Montmorency and its relatives, grown for pie rather than for eating out of hand. Worth a trip if you bake, and a short season even by cherry standards.
These come off without their stems, which is normal here and would be a mistake with a sweet cherry
Bright translucent red and soft to the touch. Firmness means it needs longer, which is the opposite of what people assume
They bruise on contact, so do not fill deeper than a few inches
Do not judge by taste. A perfectly ripe tart cherry is still sharp, which is the point of it
Pit the same day if you can. The flavour holds but the texture goes quickly
Best Time
Morning, and go the week the farm says rather than the week you planned. This is the shortest window on the list.
Storage
Two or three days refrigerated, or pit and freeze straight away, which is what most of a haul is for.
Guide
How to Pick Peaches
One of the few fruits here that genuinely improves after picking, which changes how you should choose them.
Judge by the background colour, not the red blush. The blush is variety and sun exposure; the yellow or cream underneath is ripeness
Cup the whole fruit in your palm and twist gently upward. If it needs a tug, leave it
No green at all near the stem. Green there never ripens properly, however long you leave it on the counter
Fingers bruise peaches through the fuzz without leaving a mark you can see, so hold them in the palm rather than pinching
Freestone varieties come away from the pit cleanly and are what you want for canning. Ask which the farm is picking that week
Best Time
Morning, though ripeness matters far more than time of day with stone fruit.
Storage
Ripen on the counter, out of the sun, until they give slightly at the shoulder. Refrigerate only once ripe, and then only for a few days, because cold flesh turns mealy.
Guide
How to Pick Nectarines
A peach without the fuzz, and less forgiving because there is no fuzz to hide the damage.
The same rule as peaches: read the background colour, ignore the red
Ripe fruit smells like nectarine at the stem end. If it smells of nothing, it is not ready
The skin marks at the slightest knock, so handle each one individually into the container
A gentle press at the shoulder, never the sides, should give slightly
Wrinkling around the stem means it is past its best rather than perfectly ripe
Best Time
Morning, before the fruit warms and softens on the tree.
Storage
Finish ripening on the counter, then refrigerate for two or three days at most.
Guide
How to Pick Plums
Wildly different between varieties, so the farm will tell you more than any general rule.
A powdery bloom on the skin means it has not been handled. Rub it off and it does not come back
Give slightly at the tip end while the shoulder stays firm. Soft all over is overripe
They should come away with a slight twist and no real force
European types for drying and baking are firmer than Japanese types for eating fresh, so do not judge one by the other
Plums keep ripening on the counter, so picking a little firm is safer than picking soft
Best Time
Morning, in the cool.
Storage
Counter until they give, then up to five days refrigerated.
Guide
How to Pick Apples
The longest u-pick season in the country and the one with the most varieties, most of them ready on different weeks.
Lift and twist rather than pulling down. The stem should part from the spur cleanly; pulling takes next year's fruit bud with it
Keep the stem attached. A stemless apple rots from the wound within days
Ripe apples come away easily when tilted horizontally. If you are fighting the tree, the tree is right
Look at the ground under the tree. A scatter of sound windfalls usually means that tree is ready, and none at all often means it is early
Colour is unreliable across varieties. Cut one open: brown pips mean ready, white or pale pips mean wait
Best Time
Any time of day. Apples are the least fussy thing on this list, which is why they suit a family afternoon.
Storage
Weeks in the refrigerator, months in a cold garage or basement. Keep them away from other produce, because apples give off ethylene and will ripen everything nearby.
Guide
How to Pick Pears
The one fruit here you should pick before it is ripe, because a pear ripened on the tree is gritty at the core.
Pick when full size and still firm. Tree-ripened pears go mealy from the inside out, which you cannot see until you cut one
Tilt to horizontal. A pear ready to pick separates from the spur at that angle and no other
Watch for the skin turning from grass green toward a lighter green or yellow. That is your cue, not softness
They bruise through the skin without marking, so lower them into the container rather than dropping them
European pears need a week or two of cold before they will ripen properly, so plan on the fridge before the fruit bowl
Best Time
Any time. Firmness is what you are picking for, not coolness.
Storage
Refrigerate for at least a week, then bring out to the counter. Ripe when the neck gives to gentle pressure, which is the only place worth pressing.
Guide
How to Pick Concord Grapes
The smell of a Concord vineyard in September is the reason to go, whatever you end up doing with the fruit.
Pick whole bunches with snips or a sharp twist at the stem, never berry by berry
Grapes do not ripen at all after picking, so taste from the bunch before you cut it
Deep uniform colour with no green berries left in the cluster, and a dusty bloom on the skin
The berries should be slightly soft and come off the stem easily when you tug one
A bunch that is sweet at the top and sour at the tip needs another week on the vine
Best Time
Mid-morning. Grapes picked wet spoil quickly in a closed container.
Storage
A week refrigerated, unwashed, in a loose bag. Wash immediately before eating.
Guide
How to Pick Pumpkins
Half the reason American farms open to the public at all in October, and the one pick where what you do with it decides what you choose.
Cut the stem with snips or a knife, leaving three or four inches. Never carry a pumpkin by its stem, which snaps and opens the fruit to rot
Knock it. A ripe pumpkin sounds hollow, and the rind should resist a fingernail rather than dent
Uniform colour with no soft patches, and a dry corky stem. A green stem means it was cut early
Check where it sat on the ground, which is where rot starts and where nobody looks
For pie, take a small dense variety rather than a big carving pumpkin, which is watery and stringy by design
Best Time
A dry day. A pumpkin cut in the wet and stored damp will not last the month.
Storage
Months somewhere cool and dry with air around it, and not on a concrete floor. Wipe the rind rather than washing it.
Guide
How to Pick Figs
Southern farms mostly, and worth going out of your way for, because a shop fig has never been picked ripe.
A ripe fig hangs down and its neck softens. One still pointing outward is days away
It should come off with the gentlest lift. Any resistance at all means wait
A bead of nectar at the eye is a good sign; a sour smell means it has gone over
The milky sap from the stem irritates skin, so long sleeves are worth it on a big pick
Figs do not ripen after picking at all, so there is nothing to gain by taking a firm one
Best Time
Morning, and check the same tree again a day later. Figs on one tree ripen over weeks, not all at once.
Storage
Two days refrigerated in a single layer, and that is generous. This is a fruit to eat the day you pick it.
Now go use it
The technique only helps if you turn up in the right week. See what is ready near you.
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