Purchasing some apples from the store or planning for a harvest this fall? We have the short term and long term guides to keeping your apples healthy and delicious.
Short Term:
1) Don’t Buy Bruised Apples
It sounds obvious, but it’s true: damaged apples will rot faster. Not only that, a rotting apple sends out ethylene gas into the environment, so any surrounding apples or fruits will begin to rot as well.
Ethylene is like a hormone for plants. It contributes to the ripening process, but once fruits reach maturity, the gas begins to rot them. By avoiding that initial bruised fruit, you’re helping the rest of your stock survive.
2) Refrigerate
Placing healthy apples in a cool environment is essential to their longevity. Keeping them in the refrigerator will typically extend their life, and sweet crispy texture, by an extra month or two.
3) Wrap Them With a Damp Paper Towel
Apples like to stay nice and moisturized. It keeps them tasty and thriving. Take a paper towel, run it under cold water, and wring it out. It shouldn’t be so wet that its dripping, so make sure it’s just slightly damp.
Wrap the apple in the towel and place it in the refrigerator. As it refrigerates, the apple also retains the moisture from the towel. This sustainable method ensures your apples are juicy and delicious when you’re ready to eat them.
TIP: Keep your apples in a different section of your refrigerator, away from other fruits and vegetables.
If you can dedicate apples to their own compartment, it will protect them and your other produce from unnecessary aging.
Long Term:
1) Keep Them Cool, Humid, and in the Dark
The preferred storage temperature ranges between 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit. So if you live in a colder environment, a shed or basement tends to be a solid storing location. Otherwise, use a refrigerator.
2) Store Apple Varieties That Keep Longer
Late-ripening apples typically do better under long-term storing conditions. These apples come from trees that don’t begin ripening fruit until the fall and early winter seasons, and they know how to handle the cold.
Some examples of late-ripening apples are: Pink Lady, Red Delicious, Fuji, and Gold Rush.
3) The Smaller the Apple, the Longer it Keeps
When storing for the long-term, begin eating the larger apples first. They typically begin rotting before their smaller-sized contemporaries.
4) Individually Wrap Them
You can use newspaper or dry paper towels for this. In wrapping them, you keep their skins from touching and prevent against rot. Make sure you don’t wrap them too tight though – it’s important the apples can breathe a bit.
5) Keep Them Away From Onions and Potatoes
Both apples and onions are known for producing a lot of ethylene gas. Keep apples away from other long-term storage produce, like potatoes. Onions will make your apples age faster, so keep them at a distance as well.
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source: WikiHow
