Low-Waste Apple Picking: How to Save Money and Use Every Apple
Make apple picking more affordable and low-waste with simple tips for planning, picking, storing, using, preserving, sharing, and composting your apples.
9/9/202611 min read
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Apple picking is one of those fall traditions that brings back so many memories for me.
I remember going apple picking when I was a kid, and it's something I'd love for Brayden to experience, too. My parents have even talked about taking him, which would make it extra special since they're the ones I remember enjoying these fall traditions with when I was little.
This year, I'm hoping we can find an affordable place to go as a family. Apple picking can get expensive, so I'll definitely be researching our options before we decide where to go.
But all that thinking about apple picking made me realize something else:
What do you do with all those apples once you get them home?
It's easy to get caught up in the fun of picking and end up bringing home more apples than your family can realistically eat before they start going bad. And if we're going to spend money picking apples, I want to make sure we're actually using them.
That's why I'm approaching our trip a little differently this year. From planning how many apples we really need and picking them carefully to eating, preserving, sharing, and composting what we bring home, there are plenty of ways to make apple picking more affordable and low-waste.
Here are some simple low-waste apple-picking tips to help you save money, reduce food waste, and make the most of every apple you bring home.
Plan Ahead Before You Go
One of the easiest ways to reduce waste when apple picking is to have a rough plan before you go.
Think about how many apples your family will realistically use and what you want to do with them. My family eats apples all the time, so I know we can bring home quite a few just for eating. I also plan to use some of our apples to make homemade applesauce.
Having a plan can also help you decide which varieties to pick. Different apples have different flavors and textures, and some are better for eating fresh while others work especially well for applesauce, baking, or cooking. For my family, I’ll be looking for Honeycrisp for eating and Golden Delicious for applesauce.
If your orchard offers different bag sizes, consider how much you actually need instead of automatically choosing the biggest one. It’s easy to get carried away once everyone starts picking—especially with kids helping!
A little planning before you arrive can help you save money, choose apples you’ll actually use, and keep perfectly good fruit from going to waste.
Pick and Handle Your Apples Carefully
Reducing waste can start right at the tree. Choosing ripe apples and handling them carefully can prevent bruising and help them last longer once you get them home.
How to Tell When an Apple Is Ready to Pick
Since different varieties ripen at different times, start by asking the orchard which apples are ready to pick that day and where to find them.
A ripe apple should also come away from the tree fairly easily. If you're pulling or tugging hard to remove it, it may not be ready yet.
How to Properly Pick an Apple
Instead of grabbing an apple with your fingertips and pulling it straight down, gently cradle it in the palm of your hand. Lift and twist until it releases, trying to leave the stem attached. Then gently place it in your bag or basket rather than dropping it.
When we go apple picking, one of the first things I'll do is show Brayden how to pick an apple properly. I'll especially remind him to gently place each one in the bag instead of tossing it in—which I can easily see an excited kid wanting to do!
I think teaching kids the proper way to pick is part of the experience. Once Brayden knows what to do, he can participate right along with us instead of having us do it for him. It gives him a chance to feel included and confident while learning to take care of the food he's picking.
Protect Your Apples on the Ride Home
Handle your apples carefully after you leave the orchard, too. Bags rolling around in the car or sitting underneath heavier items can lead to bruised fruit before you even get home.
Keep the bags secure, avoid stacking heavy items on top of them, and don't pile multiple bags too high.
A little extra care at the orchard and on the ride home means more of the apples you paid for will actually make it to your kitchen in good condition.
Sort and Store Your Apples When You Get Home
Once you get home, take a few minutes to sort and store your apples properly. This can help you catch bruised apples early and give the rest of your haul the best chance of lasting until you're ready to use it.
Sort Your Apples
Before putting the entire bag away, look through your apples and separate any that are bruised or damaged. Set those aside to use first, along with any apples you already plan to use for applesauce, baking, or cooking.
A minor bruise doesn't necessarily mean the whole apple needs to be thrown away. Depending on its condition, you may be able to cut away the bruised portion and use the rest.
I'll have Brayden help me sort our apples, too. I want him to see that taking care of what we picked doesn't end when we leave the orchard. Knowing Brayden, he'll probably want to taste one right away—which makes a slightly bruised apple the perfect one to choose first!
It's another simple way to show him that food doesn't have to look perfect to still be perfectly good to eat.
Store Your Apples Properly
Once you've separated the apples that need to be used first, store the rest so they'll stay fresh as long as possible.
Apples generally keep longer when stored somewhere cool rather than sitting on the kitchen counter. You can leave a few out for easy snacking and refrigerate the rest if you have room.
Check your stored apples periodically, especially if you brought home a large haul. If you notice one beginning to deteriorate, pull it out and decide whether it can still be used.
Remember one of the simplest rules for reducing food waste. Use the imperfect apples first.
A few minutes spent sorting, storing, and checking your apples can give you more time to enjoy what you picked—and help make sure the money you spent at the orchard doesn't end up in the trash.
Use Your Apples Before They Go to Waste
Once your apples are sorted and stored, it's time for the best part—eating them!
You don't need to turn your entire apple-picking haul into elaborate recipes. Start with the ways your family already enjoys apples, then find simple ways to use or preserve any extras before they go bad.
Eat Them Fresh
For my family, quite a few of our apples will probably disappear just as they are. We eat apples all the time, so part of my plan is simply to keep them available for snacks and meals.
Fresh apples are easy to add to foods you're already eating. Eat them whole or sliced, pack them in lunchboxes, add them to oatmeal or yogurt, or serve them with peanut butter, cheese, or crackers.
Eating them fresh is also one of the most budget-friendly options because you don't need to buy any additional ingredients.
Cook or Bake With Them
If you have more apples than you can eat fresh, use some for cooking or baking. Apple crisp, pie, muffins, bread, pancakes, baked apples, and oatmeal are all possibilities.
Before choosing a recipe, check your pantry. Instead of finding a recipe that requires a long list of ingredients you don't have, see what you can make with your apples and ingredients already in the house.
That keeps your apple-picking haul from turning into another expensive shopping trip.
Make Homemade Applesauce
Applesauce is one thing I already plan to make with some of our apples. It's also a great way to use apples that might not look perfect enough for the fruit bowl but are still perfectly good to eat.
You can make applesauce chunky or smooth and add cinnamon or keep it plain depending on what your family likes. If you make more than you can eat right away, you can freeze some for later.
Preserve the Extras
If you still have more apples than you can use, consider preserving them for later instead of letting them spoil.
You could:
Freeze sliced apples in recipe-sized portions for future baking.
Freeze homemade applesauce in portions your family can use at one time.
Dehydrate apple slices if you already own a dehydrator.
Make apple butter if it's something your family enjoys.
Think about how you'll actually use the apples before choosing a preservation method. For example, if you regularly make apple crisp, freezing enough sliced apples for one crisp in each container makes them much easier to use later.
Don't feel like you need to buy special equipment just to preserve your apples. If saving a bag of apples requires buying a new appliance you'll rarely use, you're probably not saving much money.
The most budget-friendly preservation method is usually the one that uses equipment you already own.
A note about canning: If you decide to preserve applesauce, apple butter, or another apple product by canning it for shelf storage, always follow a current, tested recipe from a reliable food-preservation source.
Use as Much of the Apple as You Can
Using more of each apple is another simple way to reduce waste. That doesn't mean you have to find a creative recipe for every peel and core.
Leave the Peels On When You Can
Before automatically peeling your apples, consider whether the recipe really requires it. Plenty of recipes work well with the skin left on, which saves preparation time and creates fewer scraps.
If you do need to peel them, you could bake or dehydrate the peels into a snack if that's something your family will actually eat.
But don't feel obligated to make apple-peel chips just because you can.
For me, low-waste living needs to be practical. Making something nobody wants to eat doesn't really accomplish much.
Compost What You Can't Use
Apple peels, cores, and other unusable pieces can go into your home compost rather than the trash. Cutting larger pieces into smaller pieces can help them break down, and apple scraps can be mixed with appropriate brown materials such as dry leaves or shredded plain cardboard.
Fall is a particularly convenient time for us because we usually have plenty of leaves available. Eventually, those apple scraps can become compost that goes right back into the garden.
Composting is still using the scraps.
The goal isn't to turn every single part of an apple into food. It's to eat what we realistically can and find a useful place for what's left.
What If You Picked Too Many Apples?
Even with a plan, you might come home with more apples than you expected. Kids are having fun, everyone keeps picking, and suddenly that bag is pretty full!
If you realize you have more apples than your family can reasonably use, share them while they're still fresh. Ask grandparents, neighbors, friends, or other family members if they'd like some.
A bag of freshly picked apples makes a pretty nice surprise, and it's much better to share good food now than discover it spoiled a few weeks later.
Make Using the Apples Part of the Family Experience
Apple picking doesn't have to be the end of the experience. What we do with the apples afterward can become part of our family's fall activities too.
I'll have Brayden help along the way. He can sort and wash the apples, help measure or stir if we make applesauce, package apples for the freezer, and carry appropriate scraps out to the compost.
I like that one apple-picking trip can turn into several simple family activities over the following days. We're not only getting more out of the money we spent; we're extending the experience we had together.
Apple Picking Is About More Than the Apples
As much as I want to make sure we use what we pick, the apples aren't really the only reason I want to go. It's the experience.
I remember apple picking from my own childhood, and I'd love to give Brayden some of those same memories. At the same time, I'm not willing to spend an unreasonable amount of money just because apple picking is something families are "supposed" to do in the fall.
I'll be researching affordable options first. If we find one that works for our budget, wonderful. We'll enjoy the day, bring home our apples, and make the most of them.
If we don't? There are plenty of other ways for us to make fall memories together.
Final Thoughts
If you're wondering what to do with apples after apple picking, it doesn't need to be complicated.
Eat what your family enjoys, use the imperfect apples first, preserve what makes sense, share what you can't use, and compost the scraps that are left.
Low-waste doesn't have to mean zero waste or doing everything perfectly. For me, it's about making thoughtful use of what we've paid for while enjoying the experience that came with it.
If one afternoon of apple picking turns into fresh snacks, homemade applesauce, food for later, compost for the garden, and more time together as a family, we'll have gotten quite a bit out of that bag of apples.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
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Make the Most of Your Apples
You don’t need a lot of special supplies to make the most of the apples you bring home. A few reusable kitchen and storage items can make it easier to prep, store, preserve, and use your apples while cutting down on food waste.
Apple cores, peels, and pieces that are no longer good to eat don’t necessarily have to go in the trash. A composter gives you a simple way to turn apple scraps and other food waste into something useful for your garden.
If you have more apples than you can use right away, reusable freezer bags are handy for storing sliced apples for future baking, smoothies, applesauce, and other recipes.
Glass containers are useful for storing sliced apples, homemade applesauce, baked treats, and other leftovers. Since they can be washed and reused, they’re a practical alternative to disposable storage containers.
Bring reusable produce bags along for apple picking or use them later for grocery shopping and farmers market trips. They’re an easy reusable swap that can be used long after apple season is over.
An apple corer/slicer makes it quicker and easier to prepare apples for snacking, baking, applesauce, and other recipes—especially when you come home with a lot of apples to use.
If some of your apples are destined for fall baking, reusable silicone baking mats can help reduce the need for disposable parchment paper. They’re also useful year-round for cookies, roasted foods, and plenty of other recipes.
Looking for more simple ways to enjoy fall as a family without spending a fortune? Here are a few more ideas from Thrifty Family:
Free Fall Activities for Families: Simple Ways to Make Memories
What to Plant in Fall: Budget-Friendly Ideas for Your Garden
Budget-Friendly Pumpkin Decorating With Kids (Coming Soon)
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