How to Make an Apple Picker

If you've ever gone apple picking and stared longingly at the beautiful, plump, delicious apples shining in the sun at the very top of the tree, you know how difficult it is to land these treasures. You can't do much more than make weak passes at climbing the tree or shaking the branch. But with this homemade apple picker, there's now a way to get the ripest and most delicious apples into your hands.

Things You'll Need

• 2 l plastic soda bottle
• Mop handle or long stick
• Duct tape
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Prepare the bottle. Empty the bottle, pour in a little liquid soap and give it a good swish, and repeat the process if it contained a sugared soda, which will leave the inside of the bottle sticky. Rinse the bottle and leave it somewhere to air dry.

2. Cut the bottle. Using a pair of sharp scissors, push one scissor blade into the plastic bottle and start cutting in a circle about 1 inch from the bottom. Be careful as you do this not to cut yourself with the blades. Once you have the bottle bottom removed, go around once more with the scissors to create a smooth, safe edge.

3. Attach the handle. Most plastic mops have detachable handles that you can screw off and on. Detach one of these, and secure it alongside the bottle spout with duct tape. Make sure you have a very firm, tight bond, because you don't want this to come apart at the orchard and risk losing those precious apples. Alternately, you can use a long, sturdy stick as the handle.

4. Use the apple picker. Hold the soda bottle cup you've created underneath an apple and jostle and push the branch until the apple falls into the tube. This way you don't risk dropping the apple and bruising it.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful when using scissors, especially if you are doing this with children.

• If you have jagged edges that won't smooth over, cover them with duct tape for safety purposes.