Apple picking before frost

We have a couple of ancient Apple trees which produce huge crops. Not a clue as to variety but the Apples are very big but more an eating Apple, definitely not Bramley. Normally they are pretty ripe by now and are picked before leaf drop and 1st frosts. Because of our less than glorious summer some of the Apples aren't really that ripe yet. With the wonderful sunny and still days we have been having over the last month it's just a matter of days now before our 1st frosts. Am I best to leave the Apples that are not ripe to hopefully (doubtful?) ripen further but get frosted or pick the lot now before the 1st frost? With the amount we get, they normally don't get used up until about January and have stored fine in the garage. I can't remember them being so late in ripening before and wonder if they do get frosted if this will harm their storing qualities?

 

Best to pick them slightly under ripe than to let them get frosted, they should store better than ripe ones according to me book

 

I've always thought that a light frost doesn't affect them, but going down to freezing or below will, and even a couple of degrees below wont ruin them immediately, just drastically reduce their storage life, although if it causes them to fall it will adversely affect them in another way. When I've had a massive crop there's still been some hanging arpund in December waiting to be pressed and they're still OK to eat.

Perhaps a case of not putting all your apples in one basket and picking some early and leaving the rest on the trees? If you had an apple press then nothing would be wasted as apples put in a freezer, defrosted and then pressed produce just as good juice as those pulped and pressed, in fact many people press whole apples that way in lieu of scratting.

 

I know its not ideal, but as a guide, the orchard where I work picks all apples before they are edible.
I know they are catering to supermarkets, but they store much longer if just unripe when picked, they then go in a cold store.
The idea being that they ripen when you buy them by bringing them up to room temperature.
As I say, not ideal, but it works.

 

They're probably monitoring sugar, acid and starch content. I check sugar content with a refractometer, and acid content with both a titration kit and digital pH meter, but have never found a need for/bothered with starch testing. Some people just wait until the pips go brown, but I like to know how close they are to their pips going brown.

 

Thanks all. Don't have all this fancy kit, just see if pips brown is my method! oh and watch the b blackbirds as they soon tell you if they are tasty. I have done as Scrungee and Zigs suggests. I've picked about 1/2 as not to get frosted and left those which are on the north side of the trees to hopefully let them ripen further. Great advice and very helpful.