Apples: how to pick them, storage and recipes
Apples are picked from August to October, and if picked carefully and stored well they last for months.
📅 Season: Summer varieties in August, autumn and winter varieties September to October.
How to tell it's ripe
- The fruit comes away when you lift and gently twist it — no tugging needed.
- The pips are brown, not white.
- The background colour of the skin (under the blush) turns from green to yellowish.
How to pick
- Cup the apple in your whole palm, lift and twist — the stalk stays on the fruit.
- Place apples in the basket, don't drop them: every knock becomes a brown bruise.
- For storage choose unblemished fruit with its stalk.
Storage
- In a cool (2–6 °C), humid, dark place in one layer, autumn and winter varieties keep 2–5 months.
- Keep them away from other fruit and veg — they give off ethylene, which speeds up ripening.
- Check them regularly and remove any that start to rot.
Recipes
Apple strudel
Ingredients
- 500 g strudel or filo pastry
- 1.2 kg apples
- 100 g sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 50 g breadcrumbs
- 80 g butter
- a handful of raisins
Method
- Peel and grate or thinly slice the apples, then mix with sugar, cinnamon and raisins.
- Brush the sheets with melted butter, sprinkle with crumbs, spread the filling and roll up.
- Bake at 190 °C for about 40 minutes and dust with icing sugar.
Baked apples with walnuts and honey
Ingredients
- 4 large apples
- 4 tbsp chopped walnuts
- 2 tbsp honey
- cinnamon
- a little butter
Method
- Core the apples, leaving the bottom intact.
- Fill with walnuts mixed with honey and cinnamon and top with a knob of butter.
- Bake at 180 °C for 25–30 minutes until soft.
Apple compote for the winter
Ingredients
- 1 kg apples
- 1.5 l water
- 150 g sugar
- a few cloves
- lemon peel
Method
- Slice the apples.
- Boil the water with the sugar, cloves and lemon peel, add the apples and simmer 5 minutes.
- Pour hot into sterilised jars and close.
ⓘ These are general tips; at a pick-your-own always follow the host's instructions.
More tips
🍓 Strawberries · 🍒 Cherries · 🫐 Blueberries · 🍇 Grapes · 🟣 Figs · 🍊 Mandarins · 🍅 Tomatoes