Have you ever bit into a juicy, sweet, crisp apple and thought “This is the best apple I have ever tasted!” but then wondered how farmers know when the best time is to pick said apples? Some farmers have been doing it for so long they just know, others sample them but have you heard of an iodine starch test for apples, which is another way to find out when apples are ready to be harvested
Let's Learn Something New!
There are obvious signs an apple is ready, including firmness, size and colour, but with that lovely protective skin, you can’t always see what’s going on inside. You also can’t tell the amount of starch that is in an apple.
As the fruit ripens it loses its starchiness and gains its sweetness. When you eat an apple, you likely are looking for that sweet flavour and therefore don’t want to bite into an unripe fruit!
We use an iodine starch test to help us determine how well our apple trees are producing and when they will be ready to harvest.
Iodine Starch Test for Apples
First, we cut the apple in half (across the core).
Then we soak the apple in a shallow bowl or pan of iodine solution* for one minute.
*be careful when using iodine around children
After the minute is up we pick them up, rinse them off and lay them (core side up) so we can “score” each fruit based on a chart that ranges from 1-9.
What Are You Scoring?
The apples will turn purple and based on the colouring we can determine if our trees are ready to be picked. Every variety of apples (there are over 700 varieties in the world) will score slightly differently. For example, Honeycrisp Apples only use a score chart up to 6.
For our apples, we used the score chart 1-9. The darker the colouring, the higher the presence of starch (and the apple is still immature). The lighter the colour or if there is no purple colouring, the apple is over mature.
So we are looking for apples that have a purple colouring but do not cover the entirety of the surface in a dark hue.
Now You Know!
Our orchards are spray-free, which means we don’t use chemicals to aid in growing our apples. We strive to keep our food as back to basics as possible, fueling our bodies with what they need and only that! We use the iodine starch test on a select few apples to help us assess when they will be ready to pick.
So the next time you bite into an apple, think about how somewhere a farmer took time to ensure it would be the right ripeness for you so you could enjoy the sweet crunch in every bite!
Curious to learn more? Come into our marketplace to see what we have available and chat with Farmer Heidi about her apple orchard!
It's always fun to learn something new. That's what we seek to do at Generations Marketplace & Learning Centre. With classes, farm tours and fresh baked goods, we are here to bring food from our farm to your table, and our knowledge to your toolkit! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with what is going on, and to learn more.
Comments