Totally doable — you can “grow” a stem right out of the apple mesh with Extrude.
Method A: Extrude a stem from the apple (fast + clean)
- Right-click the apple → Face
- On the top of the apple, select a small group of faces where the stem should come out (usually 4 faces in a square, or 6–8 faces if you want a thicker base).
- Press Ctrl + E (Edit Mesh → Extrude)
- In the Extrude options (or the manipulator):
- Scale the extruded faces smaller (this makes a “stem base”)
- Move it up in Y (pull it out)
- Repeat Ctrl+E a few times:
- Each time: pull up a bit, scale slightly smaller (nice taper)
- Shape it:
- Right-click → Vertex
- Turn on Soft Selection (press B) and gently move the top verts sideways to give it a little bend
- Press B + drag (left mouse) to change the soft selection falloff size
Make it look good when smoothing
If you’re using Smooth Preview (press 3):
- Add support edges so the base doesn’t melt:
- Mesh Tools → Insert Edge Loop
- Put 1–2 loops around the stem base and maybe one near the top
Method B (often easier): Make a separate stem and attach it
- Create → Polygon Primitives → Cylinder
- Scale it down, place it on top, shape it with Soft Select (B)
- Select stem + apple → Mesh → Combine
- Merge the seam:
- Vertex mode, select the touching verts → Edit Mesh → Merge (small threshold)
If you tell me whether you’re smoothing with 3 and whether you want the stem straight or curved, I can suggest the best topology (how many faces to extrude / where to add loops).