How to preserve apples: a few recommendations
What apples can be kept at home until winter, in which containers to store them, how to properly lay the fruits, why they should not be washed before storing, and a few more secrets.
While there are still fresh apples of late varieties in the dachas and in stores, you can try to buy and save them for the winter. Then you can eat not only imported glossy apples from supermarkets but also juicy fruits with great taste and aroma.
In winter, it is apples that will help support the immune system and become good prevention of colds and viral diseases. They are easy to store for a long time if you know a few subtleties.
What varieties do we store?
Not all apple varieties are suitable for storage. If you want to preserve apples that have ripened in summer, then this is an absolutely futile idea. Such apples do not last long. It is more correct to eat them right away, best of all, right from the tree. But autumn, the so-called late varieties, are ideal for storage. They can be easily saved until the New Year. Choose as late varieties as possible.
Preparing fruits for storage
The entire apple stock must first be sorted out and carefully examined. For long-term storage, only absolutely whole fruits are suitable, without cracks, spots, dents. It is advisable to remove slightly unripe fruits from the branches. Apples that have fallen from branches and raised from the ground are not suitable for storage. Such fruits instantly turn black, become soft and quickly deteriorate. It is better to make dried fruits, marshmallows, jam, compotes, cider from such apples.
Match apples that are roughly the same size. The smallest fruits should be stored only with small ones, since by mixing apples of different sizes, you will get porridge in the lower layers after a while. Small fruits will crumple under large specimens.
How do we store apples?
It is best to store apples in a container that will protect them from mechanical stress. It is important that the container does not impede air circulation, apples must be constantly ventilated, otherwise, they will deteriorate. A good storage solution is small boxes with gaps between boards. These are sold today in the home goods departments, you can also ask for similar boxes in stores selling vegetables.
Before putting apples in containers, make sure that they are free of rot, mold and absolutely dry. Each apple can be carefully wrapped in a piece of newspaper or crumpled paper. Good for storing straw, wood shavings, dried maple or oak leaves, dry hay. It’s all easy to find if you have a summer cottage. And if there is no summer cottage, then in a flower shop you can buy unpainted raffia, which is used to pack flowers. It is very important to lay well between and under the fruits, and also to cover the top apple layer.
We lay the fruits
Apples should not be washed before storage, they have a special layer on them that will keep them from rot and bacteria. It is this “film” that will allow apples to be stored for several winter months without any problems. Remember the container in which you put the smaller apples, they must be eaten first. The larger the fruit, the longer the moisture retains in it, which means that they are stored much longer than the small ones.
Storage locations
If you have a vacation home, then a ventilated basement is the best choice for storage. It is advisable that the temperature at the storage location is not lower than 0 degrees, but also not higher than 7 degrees. In an ordinary apartment, containers can be stored on a glazed balcony, in a pantry. The main thing is to prevent apples from freezing and too much humidity or dryness of the air.
Storage conditions
Do not place containers on a cold floor; apples may freeze and lose their taste and aroma. Do not store them near strong-smelling vegetables and herbs, otherwise, the apples will acquire an unpleasant aftertaste and foreign aroma. The apples should not be exposed to sunlight, so the storage location should be away from windows.
