Sunny with warm breezes and plenty of school groups picking their day to come on an Apple Picking Field Trip! Our reservation specialist Deb has her phone on and is calculating cider donut quantities as we update this post. (Originally Posted August 29, 2018: The summer heat continues. Boy was it hot today! The guys are picking apples on the home farm and happy guests at the pick your own are bringing home bags of ripe juicy apples.) Nothing is better than picking a NY apple and taking a big bite out of it, but how do you decide which apples are best to pick?
1st Plan Your Visit! Use our variety guide to help you determine when you want to come visit the farm. For example, if you want to come pick Honeycrisp apples you should get to the farm in early September. You might also want to check our extra special events page to pick the perfect weekend for PYO apples.
2nd Look for the apples with the most color. Red apples should be at least half red. Yellow apples should be a nice golden color. Green apples are a bit trickier to choose by color, so keep an eye out for the big ones.
3rd and most important, DO NOT Twist and Pull. A ripe apple should come off with a gentle lift and turn with the palm of your hand. When an apple is ready to pick it will fall off when the bottom is lifted to the sky.
See how are friends and family find the best apples to pick out in the apple orchard. We are training the next generation farmers already in how to pick apples the correct way.
Use our How to Pick and apple handout for a reference when you are out in the apple orchard filling your bag with apples.
Share your NY apple picking pictures with us. #HurdsFamilyFarm