You Can Pick Your Take Of The Juiciest Apples Hot Weather Has Hastened The Harvest. Many Varieties Are Ripe And Ready Now For The Do-it-yourselfer.

Now is your chance to re-enact the Original Sin.

Go ahead, pick the apple.

At a wide variety of Philadelphia-area Edens, the apples are ripe and plentiful. So, go on, succumb to temptation and head for the orchards.

While October is usually the best time for apples, this year the peak is right this minute.

"The hot weather in the spring brought unusual ripening times this year," said Nancy Bernhardt, who, with her husband, Robert, runs the same orchard her grandparents owned. Indian Orchards in Media is small and, although it sells a variety of apples, do-it-yourself pickers have access only to Red and Golden Delicious.

Before you head out to fill your buckets, it's important to call the orchard that's your destination and find out what's in store for you.

Some supply containers; others require that you bring your own. Some have activities such as hayrides to the trees, while others require a short drive or hike. Some also have fall exhibits or activities and sell products such as cider and jellies.

Prices also vary considerably. A spot check showed some orchards charging 60 cents a pound; others wanted only a quarter a pound.

The picking season usually begins at the end of July and lasts through October. Most of us weekend sport pickers flock to the trees at the end of September and in early October, when the Red and Golden Delicious appear. This year the Delicious apples are in high season now, along with other types including Cortland, Stayman, Empire and Macoun.

The early start could put an end to this year's season before October is over, so if you want to pick, get out there.

The hot weather did not reduce the quantity or spoil the taste of the apples. Unlike some other fruits, apples don't require that you rush home and eat your haul quickly before it goes bad. Apples will keep for several months in cool storage.

"It's a wonderful year in looks, taste and quantity," said Joyce Mood, an owner of Mood's Farm Market on Route 77, south of Mullica Hill in South Jersey. This market supplies ladders, but not containers. Mood suggests bringing something sturdy; a paper grocery bag won't do. Her price is 25 cents a pound.

At Snipes Farm and Nursery at Routes 1 and 13 in Morrisville, Bucks County, fall activities are in full swing, even on the days when it feels more like muggy July.

In addition to apple-picking, Snipes offers raspberry-picking. And for those who have the patience to take the tiny berries one by one, the rewards are sweet.