I don't just want an apple of my eye, I want it in my belly too! We were hit with early snow and many people didn't get apples picked. Have had a few nights down to 29° but are talking mid 20s by Wednesday. I don't want to waste my time but don't want to waste apples. How low can it go before damage? What do i look for to tell if they are too far gone on the tree? Will damage not show up until after picking? Help!
I've never put an apple in the freezer and at 0ºF is not quite the same as 20ºF but should be an indiction of how soft they might feel. (cells on many plants pop kinda like balloons when frozen ) At 20ºF you should at least be able to make applesauce or juice of them before they start fermenting and rotting if they don't split open.
IMHO for what it's worth................... A lot depends on what kind of apple it is and how ripe it is when the FROST hits. (Hard freezes for long periods of time are different.) Some late apples actually don't sweeten up till a couple hard frosts. Examples would be Haralson, Fireside, & Granny Smith. All of my apples, (Honeycrisp) are picked and if they were on the trees they would way over ripe anyway and not be worth picking because they are mid season apples that ripen 9/15 - 9/25. So If you have apples that are later and in good condition, pick them now. Some slice and freeze on cookie sheets for later use and then transfer to ziplock bags.
