If you are making cider the fermentation process definitely kills off all these pathogens.
Picking baskets that hang round your neck are very helpful. The fruit is very delicate so try not to pick with your fingers; cup your hand and gently ease the fruit off the branch. Lay the fruit gently in your basket and once it is full lay the basket gently in the bin and let the fruit out slowly.
With cider fruit the advice is to pick little and often. Don’t let the fruit lie on the ground for more than a couple of weeks. The quality of your cider is always going to relate to the quality of your fruit - if it’s full of rotten bits it’s not going to help. You could say that the rotting is just the start of the fermentation process, but we have a rule that anything more than 30% rotten gets chucked out. It’s much easier to process good quality fruit, and it produces better quality juice and ultimately better quality cider.
Clear the decks before you start your harvest; make sure you have got rid of all the sheep muck, all the twigs and debris, all the early fallen fruit. This way you will clear out all the problems before you start. Then pick every two to three weeks thereafter, either mechanically or manually.
Check the ripeness of the fruit by cutting into an apple and looking at the colour of the pips. If they are turning a dark brown or black the fruit is ready, if the pips are still white it isn’t.
We can give you advice on harvesting and even hire you a harvester, on 01963 240581
