It’s apple picking season!

It’s apple picking season!

Autumn is beginning to show itself in full splendour with colourful leaves, cooler evenings and golden sunsets perfect for Elephant Gin sundowners.

It’s also apple harvest and a celebration time for the second biggest ingredient in our gin. It is the local apples that add a fresh and crisp note to our gin – and a nod to local heritage. As with all of our ingredients we look for the best quality and local produce, and the same goes for surrounding our distillery famous German apple orchards, offering the best climate conditions and variety of apples contributing to Elephant Gin’s outstanding taste.

Have you ever tried apple picking? An outing to an apple farm can be really fun and a great outing with family and friends. For the best apple picking experience, remember about a few things!

Wear the right clothes

Firstly, make sure you protect your footwear properly from the damp fall conditions. Apple trees are often out in fields with tall grass. Warm, dry shoes make for happy picking! Dressing in layers is also a good idea too, because a day that starts out chilly may end up sunny and warm.

Keep your skin covered

Wearing shorts to an apple orchard probably isn’t the best idea unless you’re interested in battling mosquitos or tick bites.

Yes, there’s a right way to pick

It turns out the right way to pick an apple is by turning it to the left. As confusing as that sounds, it’s to protect and preserve the tree’s health, so you can keep coming back for apples year after year.

Wash before you snack

Even if you get a little hungry while you’re picking, experts suggest resisting your urge to snack on your goodies unless you have the ability to wash your fruit first. Apples are thin-skinned fruits that often require extra layers of certain chemicals designed to protect them from pesky bugs, birds, and even snack-loving deer.

Bring your own tote bags or baskets

Not every orchard will allow you to use your own tote bag while you’re out picking, but at least having one after you pay and load up the car will help simplify getting your precious cargo from the trunk to your kitchen safely.

Store your apple harvest in a cool, dry place

Apples stored in a cool, dry place can last for months. The fruits feel well look after in a classic wooden fruit boxes. In the optimal case they lie next to each other.
High humidity is also recommended. So if you play your cards right you’ll be loaded with delicious apples till next season!

Know which varieties you’re picking

Different apples are good for different uses. Gala apples are for example preferred by children because they are small and sweet. If you like a tart apple flavour, you might want to head to a Granny Smith or Braeburn orchard. Elephant Gin uses a variety of apples to get the full splendour of taste.

Find the best local apples

In fact, any region that reaches a “chill zone” of 0 to 7 Celsius degrees is good for apple growing, but other factors like soil can impact which types grow best in your region. Even if you’re not the biggest fan of apples, hand-picked apples are a fun gift to surprise your friends and family with. There’s something extra special about telling someone you personally collected each and every apple they can snack on or use in an apple pie!