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Storing Apples
Find out how to store apples
fruits
13:23, 28th Jul 2011
Storing Apples
Find out how to store apples
Storing Apples
fruits | preserving | grow your ownApples are one of the easiest fruits to store for many months so that you can continue to enjoy your harvest well beyond Christmas. Even thin-skinned sweet apples can be stored for a couple of months, but tart thick-skinned apples can last much longer. Note that it is the late apple varieties which store the best - in fact their flavour can actually improve with a few months of storage - whereas early apple varieties should be eaten straight from the tree.
The key thing to remember when planning to store apples is that only perfect apples should be stored. Apples with even the smallest bruise, damaged skin, or soft spots should be used immediately since if they are stored not only are they likely to spoil but they will also lead to other apples spoiling too.
In order to prevent damaging any apples, pick them very carefully from the tree and handle them with great care. A ripe apple ready for picking will come off the tree when you lift it and twist it a quarter turn.
Stored apples should be kept out of contact from one another so that one rotten apple will not spoil the whole batch - touching apples tend to rot very quickly.
The easiest way to prevent rotting is to wrap each apple individually in newspaper. The wrapped apples should then be placed gently in a single layer in a cardboard box, and the box stored somewhere constantly cool (ideally 3-7 degrees C), dark, and with no chance of freezing. If your apples freeze then when they defrost they will all spoil.
Using an Apple Rack
An apple rack is used to store a large quantity of apples very quickly and reliably. Apple racks are typically made of a stack of wooden trays or slotted shelves as picture above. Since the air can circulate freely between the layers of apples it is not strictly necessary to individually wrap the fruit, however if you do not, their skin is likely to shrivel a bit in time.
Another alternative is to use the moulded trays apples are sold from in supermarkets and greengrocers to store your fruit, or stackable plastic fruit trays.
You should make sure you check your stored apples regularly for signs of rotting, and immediately discard any fruits which are going bad. Store your apples away from strong smelling vegetables which you may be storing at the same time such as garlic and onions. Also do not store potatoes near to your stored apples since the ethylene gas released by the ripening apples will give the potatoes a sour taste and cause them to go soft.
Article Published: 13:23, 28th Jul 2011
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