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American persimmon · Apple · Asian pear · Chestnut · Common fig · Community garden · European pear · Grape · Hazel · Pawpaw · Peach
📍 5 George Washington Carver Ave, Asheville, NC 28801, USA
🗓 Season: October · November · December · August · September · June · July
🔍 When is it ripe?
American persimmon: Must be fully ripe (very soft, almost jelly-like) before eating. Harvest after first frost or when naturally falling. Dark orange to purple when ready. Rich, caramel-sweet flavour.
Apple: Background colour changes from green to yellow or cream (variety determines final colour). Seeds inside should be brown. Flesh yields slightly to thumb pressure. A ripe apple releases with a gentle upward twist — no pulling. Check the ground for natural drops.
Asian pear: Round, yellow-bronze skin. Unlike European pears, eat when still firm — they do not soften at room temperature. Ripe when colour develops fully and a sweet fragrance is detectable. Crisp, juicy flesh.
Chestnut: Spiny green burs split open to reveal 2–3 shiny brown chestnuts. Gather from the ground after they fall. Must be cooked (roasted, boiled, or ground into flour) — toxic raw in large quantities. Peel the papery inner skin after cooking.
Common fig: Two crops: breba (June–July on old wood) and main (Aug–Oct). Ripe figs hang downward, skin may crack, feel very soft, and often show a drop of nectar at the eye. Colour depends on variety (green, brown, purple). A milky sap at the stem means underripe.
European pear: Pick when background colour shifts from green to yellow-green and the stem separates cleanly. Finish ripening indoors — flesh near the stem should give slightly when pressed.
Grape: Berries fully coloured and slightly soft. Stem where it joins the bunch turns woody and brown. Seeds easily visible inside. Sweet throughout when fully ripe — taste from different parts of the cluster as they ripen unevenly. Grapes do not continue ripening after harvest.
Hazel: Green husks turn brown and pull back from the nut; ripe nuts fall freely or shake loose. Gather before squirrels. Dry in a warm place for 1–2 weeks for best flavour. Catkins (male flowers) are edible in early spring.
Pawpaw: Green skin turns slightly yellow and gives like a ripe avocado. Custard-like, mango-banana scented flesh inside. Falls at the slightest touch. Very short shelf life — refrigerate and eat within days. Found throughout eastern North America.
Peach: Background skin colour shifts from green to yellow; red blush is variety-dependent and not a reliable indicator. Fruit yields to gentle pressure near the stem end. Fragrant aroma at the base. Harvest when it detaches with a slight twist — no tugging needed.
George Washington Carver Edible Park
Site is owned by the City of Asheville, and managed by the city, Bountiful Cities, Buncombe Fruit Nuts Club, and volunteers (workdays are Mondays, 5-7pm). Planted over 14 years ago as an orchard, and an edible park since 2002, the site hosts over 40 varieties of mature fruit and nut trees. Other features include an annual vegetable garden, a butterfly garden, and a boardwalk winding through the orchard.
While visitors are encouraged to enjoy freshly picked produce from the park, they are discouraged from taking more than their fair share.
http://www.bountifulcities.org/gardens/ediblepark/
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