The Best Pickers, Peelers, and Tools for Apple Picking - Eater

Oct 19, 2024

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From the perfect apple picker to the clutch tools for prepping your haul, here are all the essentials to make the most of apple season

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Congratulations. You’ve donned your coziest asymmetrical poncho and calf-length boots and made your way to the countryside for a day of apple picking, cider sipping, and hay rides. As a single person, I never once felt the urge to gather my own apples, but then I had kids, and it suddenly felt like an overwhelming need. (I must harvest! I must document! I must share!) And so a group of my friends and I packed up the old minivan with ourselves, our kids, and our snacks and began making the annual trek to Carter Mountain Orchard, a sprawling Virginia orchard with the kind of scenic vistas that make you want to hold an apple cider donut up to the sky and snap a pic for all the world to see.

Fast-forward 12 years, and I’ve become a self-proclaimed apple picking expert. I know now to only go on weekdays (even if it means skipping school — this is learning, the old-fashioned way way) and to make sure everyone wears cute but functional boots because those sloping hills are caked with mud. It’s an autumnal rite of passage that always results in taking home a treasure trove of Jonagolds and winesaps, inevitably raising the question, “What am I going to do with all these apples?!” We’ve definitely got a few ideas, but first, here are all the tools you need to pick, prep, and bake your way to apple happiness.

When I upgraded to this real-deal fruit picker after years of picking apples by hand with a toddler on my shoulders like a total rookie, I felt like I had finally ascended to pro level. The grabbing mechanism releases the apple from the branch easily, at which point the apples drop into the attached (machine washable) mesh bag. You can buy the grabber attachment by itself and connect it to a tree-pruning tool or even a broom, but I prefer the telescoping pole on this model, which extends to 12 feet, giving me access to the shining, ripe apples (or any other tree fruit for that matter) at the height of the tree.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

You can absolutely use one of your many tote bags for collecting your apple harvest, but upgrading to a big woven basket really elevates the experience aesthetically, and let’s be real, half of the reason for schlepping to an orchard and dropping a bunch of cash on something you could find at any grocery store is about getting those photos. These fair-trade woven baskets from Ghana are picture-perfect, and they double as a farmers market basket come summer.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Your first stop, after polishing off a few apples on the car ride home, will probably be a baking project, which will require peeling your apple bounty. “This time of year we process a lot of apples, sweet potatoes, and winter squash and absolutely cannot do it without our Kuhn Rikon Swiss Peelers,” says Evan Colibri of Virginia Pie Shop. “They last a long time and are so easy to use.” The go-to peeler in every kitchen I’ve worked in, the Swiss peeler is lightweight and ergonomically friendly; these particular ones are five bucks and available in eight vibrant colors so they’re easy to spot in the utensil drawer.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Once you’ve peeled the apples, you’ll need to remove their cores. You can use a chef’s knife to cut the fruit away from the core, or you can use an apple corer to do the job in one fell swoop — a good choice if you’re working with a bigger haul. This one is designed to fit well in your hand without slipping, with a serrated stainless steel head that makes quick work of those pesky cores.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

If you’re looking for a tool that can core and slice apples at the same time, this slicer and corer from Williams Sonoma is the way to go. Most of the slicers I’ve found give you eight hefty slices, great for dipping in honey but less than ideal for baking in a pie. This model is adjustable, giving users the choice between eight big pieces or 16 thinner, more baking-friendly slices.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

As a kid, when I saw this tool next to a peck of apples at my grandma’s house, I knew we were in for an afternoon of intense apple activity, making jars of apple butter to put up and give as gifts. This slightly medieval-looking device peels, cores, and slices apples with the turn of a handle. Unlike my grandma’s model, which clamped onto the counter, this one has a handy suction cup that adheres well to the countertop or any flat surface.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

If you’re planning to go hog on a whole bushel of apples this year, it might be worth investing in this KitchenAid stand mixer attachment, which makes the fastest work out of your apple hoard. This works similarly to the Johnny Apple Peeler, Corer, and Slicer, but instead of turning the handle by hand, the mixer does the work for you. You can also choose whether you want to peel or slice or both. The downside is that this requires owning a KitchenAid stand mixer to use, but the advantage is that it works as a spiralizer for other fruits and vegetables, making it more versatile.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

For rolling out the dough, Colibri prefers the heirloom-worthy walnut Ergo rolling pin from Vermont Rolling Pins & Co. “We have been using them for years,” says Colibri. “If you take care of them [wipe with a damp cloth and oil with food-safe oil after each use], they can last for generations.”

Prices taken at time of publishing.

These glass pie pans have some key advantages: They allow bakers to watch for crusts that achieve GBD (golden brown delicious) status without having to guess, meaning no more soggy bottoms. And the wide rim allows for easy grabbing (hence the name) and doubles as a guide for fluting the crust.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

“Our favorite pie pan for at-home baking is the Splatter Pie Plate from Crow Canyon,” says Colibri. “It’s lightweight, conducts heat evenly, and is so easy to clean.” The enamelware pie plates, available in black, blue, red, or grey, bring a splash of color and a little campfire whimsy to your bakes. During the summer months, Colibri adds, the pan works well for roasting peppers, tomatoes, and onions for salsa.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

An apple hand pie dipped in cinnamon sugar is one of the best ends your apple haul can meet. This tool creates uniform, well-constructed 6-inch by 3-inch hand pies for frying or baking. The press’s crimped edges seal together nicely, helping bakers avoid blow-outs. Sturdy and easy to use, this would be a great choice for baking with kids.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

The organizer of our multifamily apple picking cohort, my dear friend Meg, always transforms her haul into caramel apples for gifting, and she swears by the old-school caramel apple kit from Concord Foods. Like the hero she is, Meg takes it a step further by adding melted chocolate and jimmies “for flair.”

Prices taken at time of publishing.

There’s a fine line between an old-fashioned candy apple and apple tanghulu, the Chinese candied fruit that’s taken over TikTok. All you’ll need to make either version is apples, sugar, water, a heavy-bottomed pot, and a dependable digital thermometer, and then let the ASMR crunching begin.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

I’ve used this food mill for years for making batches of passata in the summertime, and it’s equally well-suited for milling cooked apples into sweet, smooth applesauce that’s perfect for babies, people without teeth, and for serving alongside latkes.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

I’m loyal to Crock-Pot since I grew up with one frequently bubbling away on the counter, and this model is a nice upgrade from my childhood version, with programmable settings — choose from high or low temp and your cooking duration — in a cool, sage-y green.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

You could store your applesauce and apple butter in the fridge, but those jars end up hogging a ton of space. Better to seal them in a hot water bath and store them at room temperature, which not only makes them easier to stockpile but also easier to give as gifts for any occasion.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

I like these smaller quilted Ball jars for canning things like apple butter and applesauce because they’re cute and well-suited for giving as gifts, plus they’re great to have around for packing up leftover salad dressings and sauces.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

If you happened to amass somewhere in the 15- to 20-pound range of apples and want to do something a little different with them, it might be time to consider home cider production. Will Hodges of Troddenvale Cider in Warm Springs, Virginia, recommends this fruit press for beginners.

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Stephanie Ganz is a writer and recipe developer whose work has appeared in BUST, Bon Appétit, The Kitchn, and Epicurious. She’s the author of the Substack newsletter But Wait, There’s More.

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