First to ripen are the strawberries. Then the sweet cherries. Then the sour cherries. Then some of the early peaches (for anyone who has them) and raspberries.
About this time of the year (mid-August) the next to ripen are the blueberries, Asian plums, and the summer apples, which are ripening now.
Then toward the end of August the Bartlett pears and Italian prune plums…and in September and October come the rest of the apples.
Someday I think it would be cool if we mapped out the different micro-climates in the Seattle area and we learned the ripening habits for each particular variety in each area and we were also aware of the particular odd weather patterns for any particular year. In other words, I think it would be cool if we got a better handle on exactly when people in Seattle can expect their particular fruit to ripen.
But for now, knowing when the fruit will ripen in advance is an inexact science and we just try to remember when the fruit ripened last year and figure that for 2011 the fruit will ripen about two weeks later than usual due to our cool Spring this year.
More on picking and storage tips later!
