I checked my dates and it looks like I have been eating Liberty for about 20 days… but I’m a zone or so warmer. Haven’t noticed much of a change in taste.
Solid darkish green. Darker than a granny smith. Bad lighting so no photo.
I’m past the bug window but I am worried about squirrel losses.
I lost about 20% of my Zestar apples due to squirrels. Then I panicked and picked most of them a touch early.
These are all 2 year old trees so not many apples to sacrifice to the squirrels.
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I’d pick them and put in the crisper for a week or so if you only have a couple
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Picked a couple of weeks early and stored at ~30F they will keep quite well into late January or even later.
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I have some samples from the university of minnesota in a fridge now. I suspect the U is picking them too early but not sure. Stuff on-line seems to indicate they shouldn’t be ripe for another 3-4 weeks! Don’t know if the background green color changes when ripe?
Representative apple from the U. Mine kind of look like this only the green is darker. Apple 1/2 green, 1/2 red (sun side).
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When my Liberty look like that they are nowhere near ripe. JME
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Thank you. That was my gut reaction but the U apple house has been selling them like this for at least two years.
I know you said you were in central Minnesota but my Liberty is in Lake Elmo so I’m probably 1/2 zone warmer than you. I think I’ll let them go 3-4 more weeks.
I grafted two of these trees this spring and if they are really this sour I might re-graft.
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Yep, big difference from the cities/metro to here.
The U could be picking and selling them now thinking customers will let them continue to ripen in the crisper if they are too sour for their tastes now.
Edited to add…I wouldn’t get rid of your Liberty trees until they have had enough time to set some big crops. While they aren’t my favorite even when dead ripe, they are pretty good. They are also great in a sweet cider mix.
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The only way I have ever been able to decide is by tasting and by when they start to drop by themselves, and that’s a little late. But Libs ripen irregularly, so when one or two drop start testing them. The seeds turn black well before they’re ready, in my experience.
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Great cider, yes! Also excellent apple sauce. And when they’re at their best -which isn’t always by any means- they can be truly wonderful out of hand.
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This is what they look like mid-October in 6a. In early September they’re not as green as above. Like every other red variety, the birds show up when the red appears, which is happening presently. Mine tend to start dropping when the color transition starts, but never fully ripen once off the tree at that early stage.
Fresh off the tree I don’t care for them. After a month or so they make great sauce.
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Your zone 6 is a little different than mine evidently so that timing might not apply to all zone 6’s.
Thanks all. I felt like the U of Minnesota apple house is selling these a month early and based on everyone’s posts I think that has to be the case. Not sure what their deal is.
Based on what I’ve learned here, I’m going to let mine go until they fall off 
or 4 weeks go by.
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I should have worded that a little better. My 1800’ elevation microclimate tends to be different than surrounding areas in the same zone.
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Mine are still tiny, solid green and rock hard. likely ill let mine stay on the tree beyond 1st frost which by judging the weather lately, it will be soon. its grafted on a y. transparent. set 3 apples.
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FWIW, here in RI Liberty can be picked in mid to late Sept but then it is still more acid than sweet. A few years ago, I bought fresh-pressed sweet cider from a commercial nursery in mid Sept. It was 100% Liberty. But to make a decent dessert apple or even a decent base juice for hard cider, we should wait until early to mid October.
I bagged my Liberty. The stems seem solid - another indication that they aren’t ripe. UM Apple House confused.
.
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For what its worth, I see a lot of people referring to Liberty apples as just average, I think they’re awesome. I truly enjoy eating them fresh off the tree. I just went to a local U-pick orchard where they had 10 varieties and Liberty was my favorite apple of the 10. Throw in the fact that it’s one of the most (if not possibly THE most) nutritious apples on earth, that alone makes it worth growing and consuming!
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I hadn’t heard about the nutrition factor. Do you have any more information?
I’ve said before that when Liberties are good they are very. very good indeed, but when they’re not they can be pretty “meh”. Don’t know why. I sure enjoy ours, though.
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One possibility is that they look ripe a month before they are ripe. Note that @Paul-VA is just picking them now. Mine look ripe but I should leave them until at least early October. In your location you may need to wait even longer.
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