How to Pick the Best Fruit

For the most flavorful fruit, look for berries that are fully colored throughout the entire fruit.
Be sure to check the back-side of the berry, too! Berries ripen on the sun-facing side first and can be under-ripe on the back.
Berries should be plump, juicy and colorful and should release from the stems easily.
Lift foliage to find hidden fruit.
Taste them! Feel free to sample a few, after all, it’s really the best way to tell if they are ripe!

Strawberries: best picked when bright/dark red all the way to tip (look underneath, too!). Leave stems on fruit for longer shelf-life. Flavor should be sweet and juicy.
Raspberries: best picked when dark red all the way to the tip and on back side, too. Berries should release easily from stem (white inner stem should remain on branch). Flavor should be slightly sweet-tart and juicy.
(Note: sunburn can cause white areas on berries these are OK to pick and will still taste good)
Blackberries: best picked when dark, glossy black, plump, with slight softness to skin. Berries should release easily from stem. Flavor should be sweet-tart and juicy.
Blueberries: best picked when blue all the way through to the tip. Berries should release easily from branches.

Apples should be picked when fully ripe and sugar content has reached a specific level.
Our availability for picking will coincide with the best harvest time for each variety.
Apples should be picked with a gentle ‘lift and twist’ method to release the stem. Place gently in a basket/bucket to prevent bruising.
Never pick apples that have fallen to the ground.
Refrigeration will prolong the storage life of your apples. Storage time varies depending upon the variety.

Pears should be slightly under-ripe / firm when picking.
They will continue to ripen after picking and the sugar content will more fully develop with cold storage.
Refrigerate your pears for several days after picking and then allow to ripen on your kitchen counter for another couple of days for the best flavor.
This process will result in a delicious, juicy, sweet pear without grittiness in the flesh.

Look for tomatoes with full color or with a slightly green ‘shoulders’.
Tomatoes should be fairly firm to the touch.
Experiment with colorful tomatoes, other than red, for unique flavors.
While some skin blemishes are fine, such as sunscald or scarring (simply cut around any unwanted parts), some blemishes, such as blossom end rot (black sunken spot) should be avoided, especially if canning or preserving.