The time of harvest in an Ambrosia orchard is always an exciting time. It takes a unique set of abilities to get the apples off the tree at the precise moment when they are ready to be picked while also keeping them in as pristine a condition as is humanly possible. The outward appearance of Ambrosia apples is the first red flag that indicates they are ready to be picked. It's safe to assume that they're ready to be picked when the interior of the fruit transforms from its original green color to a hue that's somewhere between buttery yellow and rosy, pink. Growers, on the other hand, do not select based solely on appearance; rather, they must ensure that the fruits have an excellent flavor as well. The farmers put their apples through a process that is referred to as a "maturity test" to determine whether or not they are ready to be used in the production of ambrosia. In order to accomplish this, you will need to cut a few apples in half and measure the amount of starch inside each one. They apply an iodine solution by spraying it onto the apple after it has been cut. The iodine causes a reaction with the sugar and the starch, which results in the sugar maintaining its white color while the starch acquires a dark color. There is a chart that illustrates the precise number of black spots that an Ambrosia apple that has reached its full maturity level should have. It is time to harvest the apples when the farmer has determined that they are mature in appearance and contain the appropriate proportions of starch and sugar. Apple pickers who make a living at it can typically pick two apples at once by grabbing and twisting them with both hands. After that, they carefully place the apples into their sack, taking care not to damage any of them in the process. When their bag is full, they untie the apples from the bottom and carefully place each one in the appropriate compartment of the bin. 
If you are fortunate enough to live close to an Ambrosia apple orchard, you should inquire as to whether or not they allow customers to pick their own fruit. Going to a farm during the fall and picking your own apples is a fun and productive way to spend the afternoon. One last piece of advice concerning the gathering of Ambrosia apples is to ensure that you look up. The vast majority of Ambrosia apple trees require some sort of support structure in order to reach their full height potential. Apples grow all the way to the top of the tree, and sometimes the best apples are waiting for you to reach up and grab them when you get to the top. This variety reaches full maturity at the same time or very slightly ahead of the typical Jonagold schedule. Growers for the fresh market who are interested in switching to a more profitable fresh market variety may find that Ambrosia is an attractive option to consider as a potential replacement for the Jonagold variety during this harvest time. Growers in British Columbia state that the natural harvest window is very short (roughly 10 days) if the fruit is not treated with PGRs, which is why the use of Harvista on the variety is highly recommended. Growers also report that the natural harvest window is very small. Blocks that have not been treated with Harvista have a greater propensity to prematurely mature and become overly ripe in a shorter amount of time. 
Ambrosia apple harvest
The timing of the harvest of Ambrosia apples is especially important when it comes to ensuring that the apple you purchase from the store will be of high quality. In the Northern Hemisphere, the apple harvest typically occurs somewhere between the end of September and the beginning of October. On the other hand, the window of opportunity for harvesting Ambrosia apples is one of the smallest of any commercial apple variety. Because of this, growers of quality Ambrosia must be particularly watchful and must carefully monitor the ripeness of the apples in the weeks leading up to harvest time. When an apple is picked while it is still immature, its carbohydrates are stored as starch, which gives the apple a floury consistency. However, as the apple ripens, the starch is converted into sugar, which gives the apple its characteristically sweet flavor. This process of converting starch into sugars happens very quickly in ambrosia, which is what accounts for its short window of availability for harvesting. 
If Ambrosia apples are picked too soon, they will have a bitter flavor and a grainy consistency, but if they are picked too late, they won't be able to be stored without becoming mushy. As a result, growers of quality Ambrosia take daily samples from their orchards to determine whether or not the apples they cultivate have begun the process of converting starches to sugars. They harvest the apples when about half of the starch has been eaten away, and they know, based on years of research and experience, that these Ambrosia apples will provide an exceptional eating experience even after being stored for a number of months. In the early 1990s, Sally and Wilfrid Mennell's orchard was the place where they discovered their first Ambrosia apple tree by complete accident. They were unsure of the tree's lineage and could only speculate as to where the seed that it sprouted from had come from. They did note, however, that when the tree finally bore fruit, the apples were so beautiful and flavorful that the pickers working in the orchard stripped the tree clean and ate all of the fruit. Apples labeled as Ambrosia are picked at their peak ripeness between the last week of September and the first week of October. Is the apple at the point where it can be picked and eaten, or does it still need more time? This is dependent on the results of ripening tests conducted in the laboratory. These tests determine its inner values. Because Ambrosia apples are only picked when they have developed their honey-sweet flavor, smell like nectar, and can boast shining bright red cheeks, the careful manual harvest can only begin if the disintegration of starch, flesh firmness, and sugar content are all fine. 
This is because Ambrosia apples are picked only when they have reached their full potential. In most cases, a number of harvesting cycles are required in order to ensure that each and every Ambrosia apple has attained the optimal level of maturity.