Apple Season / Apple U-Pick Update

Today (Mon 9/9/13) I picked and ate my first McIntosh of the season. It was tart and the flesh had a green tint to it but I think we are ready to start picking the Macs. We will open the McIntosh for apple U-pick tomorrow for those who want a tart Mac, and I expect that by the weekend we will have some in the markets. These will be spot picked to select for large well colored ones that we think will be the ripest.
We went through the Ginger Golds today and picked them all off the tree. We will have them for sale in the markets but with temps forecast in the high 80s we felt that those remaining on the tree would risk turning over ripe and soft. The fall apples give us a longer window to let them hang on the tree without fear of overripe or soft fruit. Some like McIntosh will really start to drop as soon as they are ready so we still have to be ready to pick them asap. The Gingergolds, however, which ripen in hot weather can start to turn mushy soft on the tree so the apple u-pick window is not open for very long. We will have Macs on the tree for at least 2 weeks and we will soon be starting Honeycrisp too. So Macs starting this week, a few Honeycrisp and maybe some Galas for Saturday. I expect that the Empires, Cortlands, Mutsu, Northern Spy, and Jonagold will all start in the next 2-3 weeks, with Ida Reds being the last one to ripen probably after the 8th of October. With U-pick we can start a little earlier if the customer will select pick for color and size.