My daughter and son in law has a Cox's Apple which is laden. I chose one the
other day, gently lifted and twisted and it fell into my hands. A sign on my
massive Bramley at my last house, that it was ripe. 'fraid not, still hard
and quite bitter.

What's the signal please? OR, they picked as described and stored?

I would guess there are some experts out there ;-)

Mike

--

....................................

Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive.

....................................

"'Mike'" wrote in message
...
My daughter and son in law has a Cox's Apple which is laden. I chose one
the other day, gently lifted and twisted and it fell into my hands. A sign
on my massive Bramley at my last house, that it was ripe. 'fraid not,
still hard and quite bitter.

What's the signal please? OR, they picked as described and stored?

I would guess there are some experts out there ;-)


I wouldn't claim to be an expert, but in my experience, if a Cox rattles
when you shake it, it's ripe.

"BAC" wrote in message
...

"'Mike'" wrote in message
...
My daughter and son in law has a Cox's Apple which is laden. I chose one
the other day, gently lifted and twisted and it fell into my hands. A
sign on my massive Bramley at my last house, that it was ripe. 'fraid
not, still hard and quite bitter.

What's the signal please? OR, they picked as described and stored?

I would guess there are some experts out there ;-)


I wouldn't claim to be an expert, but in my experience, if a Cox rattles
when you shake it, it's ripe.

Agree with you when it's in the bowl, but on the tree? 'Lift and twist'
gently is all I believe to harvest them. Do that to harvest, then store
until the rattle? ;-))

Mike


--

....................................

Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive.

....................................

On Aug 31, 5:11*pm, "'Mike'" wrote:
My daughter and son in law has a Cox's Apple which is laden. I chose one the
other day, gently lifted and twisted and it fell into my hands. A sign on my
massive Bramley at my last house, that it was ripe. 'fraid not, still hard
and quite bitter.

What's the signal please? OR, they picked as described and stored?

I would guess there are some experts out there ;-)

Mike


If the tree/branch is small/reachable, give it a shake. The ripe ones
fall off. Come back in a day or two & repeat.
I climb into our larger trees and shake the branches. Wife picks up.
Saves all the poxy trouble of going round tweaking them & lots can't
be reached anyway on our big trees.

"harry" wrote in message
...
On Aug 31, 5:11 pm, "'Mike'" wrote:
My daughter and son in law has a Cox's Apple which is laden. I chose one
the
other day, gently lifted and twisted and it fell into my hands. A sign on
my
massive Bramley at my last house, that it was ripe. 'fraid not, still hard
and quite bitter.

What's the signal please? OR, they picked as described and stored?

I would guess there are some experts out there ;-)

Mike


If the tree/branch is small/reachable, give it a shake. The ripe ones
fall off. Come back in a day or two & repeat.
I climb into our larger trees and shake the branches. Wife picks up.
Saves all the poxy trouble of going round tweaking them & lots can't
be reached anyway on our big trees.
.................................................. ........

Only small. Will give it a try tomorrow.

Many thanks

Mike


--

....................................

Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive.

....................................

OK if you're planning to eat fairly soon, but not if you're planning to store. The bruising as they hit the ground is enough to cause rot during storage.

Cox is supposed to be ready for harvest in early to mid Oct, so even in a good summer beginning of September is a bit early. Its eating season is late Oct to Jan. I was always brought up with that thing about rattling the pips to see when it was ripe, but recently there's been some doubt cast on that.

I usually pick when the tree in question is starting to shed good apples as windfalls (I ignore the first few windfalls which are usually unripe fruit which have been attacked by blackbirds). Harry's right with his implication that not all the apples on the tree are ripe at the same time, so if your tree is small enough, it's sensible to do the gentle lifting thing - ie gently lift the apple and it should fall off, without any need for twisting. Only resort to twisting if you're trying to pick late apples before the frost, and expecting them to continue ripening in store.

On Thu, 1 Sep 2011 19:56:37 +0000, kay
wrote:
[...]

Cox is supposed to be ready for harvest in early to mid Oct, so even in
a good summer beginning of September is a bit early. Its eating season
is late Oct to Jan. I was always brought up with that thing about
rattling the pips to see when it was ripe, but recently there's been
some doubt cast on that.

I usually pick when the tree in question is starting to shed good apples
as windfalls (I ignore the first few windfalls which are usually unripe
fruit which have been attacked by blackbirds). Harry's right with his
implication that not all the apples on the tree are ripe at the same
time, so if your tree is small enough, it's sensible to do the gentle
lifting thing - ie gently lift the apple and it should fall off, without
any need for twisting. Only resort to twisting if you're trying to pick
late apples before the frost, and expecting them to continue ripening in
store.

This leads me to a niggle I've been carrying for years. Are the apples
sold in supermarkets as "Cox's" really Cox's? Even allowing for the
pernicious practice of picking too early and then making into zombies
by chilling, they don't seem quite right. They never get the colour or
the characteristic surface feel (am I inventing this memory?). Could
there be a reason for the use of the simple word "Cox's" instead of
the full honorific "Cox's Orange Pippin"?

--
Mike.

On Sep 1, 8:56*pm, kay wrote:
harry;934907 Wrote:



If the tree/branch is small/reachable, give it a shake. *The ripe ones
fall off. Come back in a day or two & repeat.
I climb into our larger trees and shake the branches. *Wife picks up.
Saves all the poxy trouble of going round tweaking them & lots can't
be reached anyway on our big trees.

OK if you're planning to eat fairly soon, but not if you're planning to
store. The bruising as they hit the ground is enough to cause rot during
storage.

Cox is supposed to be ready for harvest in early to mid Oct, so even in
a good summer beginning of September is a bit early. Its eating season
is late Oct to Jan. I was always brought up with that thing about
rattling the pips to see when it was ripe, but recently there's been
some doubt cast on that.

I usually pick when the tree in question is starting to shed good apples
as windfalls (I ignore the first few windfalls which are usually unripe
fruit which have been attacked by blackbirds). Harry's right with his
implication that not all the apples on the tree are ripe at the same
time, so if your tree is small enough, it's sensible to do the gentle
lifting thing - ie gently lift the apple and it should fall off, without
any need for twisting. Only resort to twisting if you're trying to pick
late apples before the frost, and expecting them to continue ripening in
store.

--
kay

Commercial apples aren't picked. They are shaken off with a tractor
mounted device. I have long grass under my trees. Never a trace of
bruising

Yes, that would work. I have vegetable beds and gravel paths under mine - not enough space to plant them in grass. The ones that land in the strawberries are usually OK.

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 1 Sep 2011 19:56:37 +0000, kay
wrote:
[...]

Cox is supposed to be ready for harvest in early to mid Oct, so even in
a good summer beginning of September is a bit early. Its eating season
is late Oct to Jan. I was always brought up with that thing about
rattling the pips to see when it was ripe, but recently there's been
some doubt cast on that.

I usually pick when the tree in question is starting to shed good apples
as windfalls (I ignore the first few windfalls which are usually unripe
fruit which have been attacked by blackbirds). Harry's right with his
implication that not all the apples on the tree are ripe at the same
time, so if your tree is small enough, it's sensible to do the gentle
lifting thing - ie gently lift the apple and it should fall off, without
any need for twisting. Only resort to twisting if you're trying to pick
late apples before the frost, and expecting them to continue ripening in
store.

This leads me to a niggle I've been carrying for years. Are the apples
sold in supermarkets as "Cox's" really Cox's? Even allowing for the
pernicious practice of picking too early and then making into zombies
by chilling, they don't seem quite right. They never get the colour or
the characteristic surface feel (am I inventing this memory?). Could
there be a reason for the use of the simple word "Cox's" instead of
the full honorific "Cox's Orange Pippin"?

--
Mike.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've long had the same question. The Coxs apples we could get locally in
Kent some forty years ago...where have they all gone?

Interesting you should say that. Back in June I bought some Braeburn on the grounds that they're usually the least revolting of the tasteless spheres of water which are all that's on offer once the Cox's are over, and they were so tasteless that I gave up eating them. I think I ended up cooking them with loads of cinnamon. And I determined to buy no more apples

So I've been apple-less since then. Thank goodness my Worcesters are now ripe, so I now have apples of various sorts through to March.