Content

• Steps
• What you need

Apples need cool temperatures to stay fresh when stored for long periods of time. While cool temperatures are enough to keep apples fresh for weeks, with a little extra care you can store apples for up to several months.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Store for a short time

1. 

   Choose to preserve fresh apples. Check the number of apples you have selected and separate the softened or crushed ones from the still fresh ones. A crushed apple can actually spoil others if left together, as apples release large amounts of ethylene gas when crushed. Therefore, you should not store beaten apples with fresh apples.

2. 

   
   
   Arrange the crushed apples on the table. When stored in a basket at room temperature, the apples can remain fresh for about 2 days. This is of course only a short period of time, but crushed apples should be eaten right away no matter how well you preserve them, as partially crushed apples rot faster.
   • If the apples cannot be eaten because they are too crushed, throw them in the trash or, if you are in the countryside and have a large garden, leave them in the garden for other animals. Even if no animals are eaten, when apples are spoiled, they will be a food source for many insects and other organisms living in the soil.

3. 

   
   
   Put the fresh apples in the refrigerator. Apples will stay fresh for a long time when stored in cold temperatures. Most modern refrigerators have fruit storage compartments or coolers; If your refrigerator has this type of compartment, store apples there. If you do not have one, you can place the apple in an uncovered plastic container and place it deep inside the refrigerator, where it is usually the coldest.

4. 

   
   
   Cover the apple with a damp paper towel when refrigerating. Aside from the cold temperatures, apples also need a little extra moisture to stay fresh. Stack a damp paper towel on the apple to provide enough moisture, but if you cover the apple with wet paper towels, make sure you don't leave the apples in a closed box or drawer.

5. 

   Monitor temperatures when possible. If you have a temperature control system for the cooler, you should set the temperature between -1 ° C and 2 ° C. This is the ideal temperature for storing apples. Storing apples in colder conditions will cause the cells to rupture, making the apple limp and inedible; even storing apples in warmer conditions at 12 ° C could cause apples to ripen twice as quickly.
   • If there's no thermostat that allows you to control the temperature numerically, but there's a basic knob that lets you make the fridge or compartment cooler or warmer, put the thermometer in the drawer and control Adjust the knob until the thermometer displays the number within the appropriate temperature range.

6. 

   Track apples. Stored this way, the apples will stay fresh for up to about 3 weeks. advertisement

Method 2 of 2: Storage for a long time

1. 

   Conducted to preserve apples for a long time. Sour apples, thick peels like Jonathans, Rome, Melrose, Fuji and Granny Smiths are the best choice. Sweet, thin-skinned apples like Red Delicious or Golden Delicious often do not produce satisfactory results.
   • Also, make sure the apples are still fresh. Apples have soft spots or crushes that generate a lot of ethylene gas, which causes nearby apples to spoil more quickly than usual and hinders your efforts to preserve apples.

2. 

   Pack each apple. Even fresh apples produce some ethylene gas; therefore, apples that touch each other during storage often spoil more quickly. Besides, if an apple is rotten during storage, it can spread to nearby fruit, causing all apples to spoil more quickly. Pack each apple to prevent damage from touching apples.
   • Tear off a page of newspaper and fold those quarters into a stack. Choose paper with black ink only because the colored ink contains toxic heavy metals.
   • Place an apple on top of the newspaper. Take the top sheet of paper to wrap the apple, gently fold the corners to cover the apple. However, do not fold the paper too closely as you will tear the paper. The goal of this step is to keep the apples from touching each other, not to block the air around the apple.
   • Continue wrapping each apple in newspaper until you run out of apples.

3. 

   Seal crates or cardboard boxes. The apple container doesn't have to be completely sealed, as you will still need to allow air to circulate around the apple during storage, but limit the amount of air. Sealing the box also helps regulate the apple's temperature and the amount of air circulation. Use straw or a plastic pad with a small hole to line the bin.

4. 

   Put the apples in a sealed container. Stack apples adjacent to each other, making sure the newspaper doesn't peel and the peels of the apples don't touch.

5. 

   Store apples in a cool place. Agricultural storage is often used to store apples, but an air-conditioned room or somewhere in the house with cool temperatures is also effective. However, the average temperature for storing apples should not be below the freezing point, as the freezing breaks the apple's cells, leaving them limp when thawed.

6. 

   Do not store apples near potatoes. Ripe potatoes will produce gas, which can cause apples to spoil more quickly. You can also place these two crops in the same room or storage space, but not side by side.

7. 

   Check for apples after a few months. Stored in this way, apples can stay fresh for a few months, but will begin to spoil soon after. advertisement

What you need

• Thermometer
• Newspaper
• Wooden crates or cardboard boxes
• Straw or plastic pad with small holes