Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
left where they are to ripen a bit more. As with European pears, flavor and
softening are good indicators of maturity.
Quinces
In warm, long-season climates, quince fruits can remain on the trees long
enough to soften and become sweet enough to eat out of hand. In most of
North America, the practice is to leave the fruits on the trees as long as pos-
sible, but not to the point that they are exposed to frost. At this stage, the
fruits are very firm, acidic, and astringent. They are, and will remain, quite
gritty. Although they are firm, they still bruise easily and must be handled
with the same care given to apples.
The fruits usually need to be stored for a few weeks in order to mature
them to the point where they can be eaten. One practice is to store the fruits
in single layers in a cool, dry location to continue ripening. Once ripe, the
fruits can be kept refrigerated for a few weeks.
Quinces are sometimes eaten fresh, but they are more commonly made
into jams and jellies or baked. Their flavor and aroma are very strong, and
a small amount of quince can be added to processed apples and pears to
provide flavor and aroma.
Saskatoons
Saskatoon fruits are allowed to fully ripen before harvest. The fruits will be-
come an even blue color, soften, and be sweet and flavorful. At this stage,
the fruits are rather delicate, and you must be gentle. If harvesting by hand,
pluck, strip, or roll the ripe berries off the clusters, leaving unripe fruits on
the cluster to ripen for a later harvest.
Commercially, saskatoons are hand harvested or mechanically harvested
using over-the-row harvesters similar to those used for raspberries and blue-
berries. After harvest, store the berries at 32 to 34°F (0 to 1°C) and high hu-
midity.
