What methods do some of you more experienced growers use? Some of the techniques have led me astray the past 2 weeks. Smell test, yep, smells peachy. Poke test, yep, gives a little. No more green, yep mostly red with yellows. Take a bite and it sounds like an apple. Not ripe yet. Besides what i listed above is there any other methods to go by?
as you know if your wife is angry? usually that we caught to meet people.
with dried fruit like the first year that produces a tree is more difficult to know the exact time of collection, we will gradually knowing more precisely that data based on the appearance of the fruit, its hardness or just cojiendo a fruit of the tree and eating it know when this to our liking
I like to press gently with my thumb keeping in mind that the side that gets the most sun will ripen before the dark side
Usually the poke at top test is reliable. Some varieties can ripen unevenly and they need a poke further down the shoulder. By default though the poke at top should do it, thats nearly always what I am doing.
ahhh… I was testing towards the sides. That may be the issue. Also what seems firm or soft to me may be different to others… So maybe my thought of soft is a tad different that yours
It should be soft enough that it requires almost no pressure at all to get some sinking in.
“Soft” varies a lot by fruit, with pears you are pushing really hard to see if you get any movement at all.
You listed all of the methods that I use, so you have to decide
which one or one’s work for you.
As Scott mentions the poke test at the top is the most reliable common test for peaches. If you pick them firm and let them sit on the counter, the top will develop a flat spot where the peach sits, just from the weight of the peach. When you see a flat spot there, it’s ready to eat.
One note on peaches. I’ve learned that not all peaches are best picked soft ripe. Some varieties will be mealy if picked soft ripe. Others picked soft ripe will develop a sort of bitter flavor (for a while I thought this was just me who thought this until I read a peach guru out of MSU write the same thing).
In the end I think Ray said it well, you just have to decide what works for you, but don’t be afraid to experiment and pick a few a tad bit firm ripe and let them finish ripening on the counter. In most cases I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. I have much more issues with fruit quality from peaches picked on the lower (especially) lower interior portion of the tree. Most of the time those peaches lack flavor, regardless how soft they are picked.
My approach is to see how easily peach separates from the stem by very gently pulling the fruit with my hand. A fully ripe peach just falls into your hand. I only eat peaches that separate with very little force applied to them. If I pull with an effort and peach does not separate, I let it ripen further.
Mark it’s because those lower interior peaches don’t get enough sun
to really sweeten up and develop flavor. I have the same results. Sometimes
those peaches aren’t even worth picking.
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I really struggle with this, the need for leaves to feed the peach and the need to prune so light can get in. My old peach had very few fruit this year and has put on a bunch of growth that I no doubt need to thin.
Since you aren’t really pruning that much, there should be more than
enough leaves to support the fruit. The sunlight is crucial in developing
good peaches.
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