05-19-2012, 07:04 PM
Pick when there's no green or yellow left in the channels between the ridges; the fruit should be all red. Some varieties may have a few small brown spots at that point; don't worry, the spots are only skin deep. They'll keep for a couple of weeks off the tree (don't worry about what the skin looks like) as long as you cut off whole bunches rather than trying to pick individual fruits. Refrigerating them will lower the quality. They're really only good for a few weeks every year; that's why they're so expensive.....