Apple season will be here soon. If you plan on picking apples or purchasing apple these tips on the best way to store apples will help keep your apples from going bad before you can use them.
One of the best things about fall is that apples are in season.
While you can certainly purchase apples year round at your local grocery store, fall is when they really come into their own.
You can find the tastiest, freshest apples from September through November and you can find some great deals – particularly when you buy local, pick your own or grow your own.
Apple Varieties that Store the BestWhen you are shopping or going out to pick apples buying a good storing apple is important. Most of the late fall to winter apple varieties are good for storing.
Pick apples that are harder and have thicker skins those varieties will store better than the softer thinner skinned apples.
A few good keeping apples are…
- Braeburn
- Cameo
- Fuji
- Gala
- Golden Delicious
- Granny Smith
- Honeycrisp
- Red Delicious
- Rome
Also, remember the longer apples are stored the sweeter they tend to become. So a tarter apple after it’s been stored a while will sweeten up.
When you have a lot of apples on hand, you need to know how to best store all those apples at home. These tips and ideas can help you make your apple harvest last.
Inspect Your Apples
Be sure to inspect your apples before putting them into storage.
Start by checking every apple for bruising or rot. A single rotting apple stored with the rest will cause all your apples to ripen, and then over-ripen quickly. Only healthy apples that don’t have nicks or bruises and aren’t too ripe yet should be stored.
Sort out the rest and use them for eating, baking, and cooking with right away. You can preserve those apples by canning or freezing the apples, turning them into applesauce, apple chips, or apple pie filling.
Sort Your Apples
Sort your apples by variety, and then by size.
Larger apples will go bad faster than others and different apple varieties have different shelf lives. You want to be able to eat and use the apples that will go bad faster first.
Keep the smaller apples of long lasting varieties for last and you’ll have fresh and delicious apples well into winter and even early spring.
Tart, thick-skinned apples usually last the longest.
Storing Apples
Keep your apples in a higher humidity area of the home. You don’t want your apples to become wet though. Apples store best in areas of the home that stays cool but doesn’t freeze.
Apples should not be stored in plastic. Instead, choose crates or baskets that allow the fruit to breathe.
Apples emit ethylene, a gas that helps ripen fruit. You want the air to flow around your apples and allow excess ethylene to escape otherwise your apples will ripen and rot much faster.
You may have heard of this principle in action when you put an apple in a brown bag with green bananas to encourage them to ripen faster.
If you’re storing apples, you want to slow down that ripening process. Good air circulation is helpful to keeping apples longer.
Store the crates or baskets of apples in a dark, cool place. Basements are great, provided they are dry and get good air flow. Your pantry is another good option. Store your apples away from onions and potatoes for best results.
If you are only storing a few apples, the crisper drawer in your fridge is another good option.
Check Your Apples in Storage Regularly
Inspect your apples regularly and pick out any fruit that’s starting to rot.
This will prevent all your apples from going bad. Get in the habit of inspecting your apple harvest once a week, or anytime you dig in to pick fresh apples for eating.
These tips are the best way to store apples. First, inspect your apples for rot or bruises. Pick longer storing varieties and store small apples and eat the larger apples first.
Store in crates or baskets in a cool dark place and be sure to inspect them regularly. By doing these simple tips you can make your apple harvest fresh and yummy for as long as possible.
What varieties are you looking forward to stocking up on this year?
Apple Recipes You’ll LoveFresh Apple Cookies
Apple Crumble Bars
Easy Baked Apples
Apple Fritters
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