Now Forage

American plum: Red to yellow, about 2 cm across. Tart-sweet when ripe; flesh softens and the fruit falls readily. Good raw or cooked. Watch for early drop — often ready by mid-August.

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.

Banana: Skin turns from green to fully yellow; brown flecks ('sugar spots') signal peak sweetness. Harvest when yellow but firm; ripen at room temperature. Do not refrigerate unripe — turns skin black without ripening flesh.

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.

Pear: Unlike apples, pears ripen from the inside out. Harvest when the skin colour lightens and the fruit separates with a gentle upward twist. Ripen off the tree at room temperature — leave on a counter until the neck yields to thumb pressure.

Raspberry: Deep red (or gold/yellow for golden varieties) and slides off the receptacle — the hollow centre is the tell. Does not pull: a ripe raspberry separates at a touch. Extremely fragile; use within hours of picking.