Color, both outside and under the skin, indicates maturity.
Apples may be yellow, red, green or a combination of these at
harvest. • When the green almost gives way to yellow, a yellow
variety is mature. • With red blush or striped apples, the area
where there is no red usually changes from green to yellowish at
maturity. • In the newer red strains -- red all over long before
maturity -- the change of flesh color (between skin and core)
from greenish to white signifies maturity. The green of spur-
type 'Red Delicious' may disappear only after several months of
storage. Ease of separation. Unless a "stop-drop" spray has been
applied, mature apples easily separate from the tree. Do not
pull the apple down to pick it; rather, twist it upward with a
rotating motion. Fruit drop. When a few sound apples drop to the
ground, the apples on the tree are nearly mature. Softness and
flavor. When an apple becomes slightly softer and tastes sweet
and juicy, it is mature. Some varieties, such as 'Delicious,'
become sweeter i