Features of storing apples
The best place to keep apples is the cellar, which every self-respecting gardener tries to equip in his summer cottage. But the absence of such a room is not at all an unsolvable problem, apples can be perfectly stored in the refrigerator, if you follow certain rules:
- is not suitable for all varieties of apples for long-term storage in the refrigerator, only late varieties are suitable for this, while the early ones should be processed or eatenfast enough;
- is not recommended for long-term storage of mixed apples of different varieties, since each of them has different characteristics, respectively, and the conditions must be different;
- washing the fruit before identifying them for storage is strictly prohibited, so as not to disturb the natural protective layer, which will lead to rapid deterioration of products.
Refrigerator is a convenient place for long-term storage, but only if you have not produced a rich harvest. Then you should seriously think about the arrangement of the cellar or do fruit processing on a more global scale.
Defining fruits for storage
Refrigerator is one of the greatest inventions of mankind, absolutely everyone will agree with this, especially if you have to store products for a long period. In order for the apples to remain as tasty, juicy and elastic, and their nutritional and vitamin value to remain at the same level, it is necessary to store them in the refrigerator correctly.
- Immediately after you have harvested, it is necessary to sort out the fruits and discard those damaged mechanically or by pests. They will go to the preparation of fragrant jams and compotes, and in the fridge we will put only whole apples, and this should be done within a day after harvest. Apples with signs of rot should be thrown away immediately or they can be recycled, in any case, they should not be kept together with healthy fruits.
- If fruits are purchased in the market, in a store or from neighbors, they should be placed in a refrigerator immediately.
- After carefully sorting the fruit, pack the apples with cling film, placing 1-3 kg of fruit in each bag. Each package should be provided with a kind of ventilation, having made several holes in the film. Apples will be able to breathe, and you will prevent their premature rotting. In this way it is very convenient to store fruit.
- Do not allow regrading, that is, packing in one package of apples of different varieties. Each variety has its own ripening period, and an accidental apple with earlier ripeness can spoil the contents of the whole package. If you have to keep several varieties in the refrigerator, you can sign each package with a marker or stick a sticker with the name of the variety.
- The best preservation can be achieved by using for storage the coolest compartments of the refrigerator, in which the temperature is kept from 1 to 3 degrees. The optimum air humidity at which fruit should be stored should be around 85-90%.
- You can store fruits in special trays or containers or use small boxes.
- If apples are to be stored for a long time, you can use heat treatment before laying, which is carried out at a temperature of about 30 degrees. Such processing is carried out within 2-3 days and can significantly increase the shelf life and prevent apples from ethylene emission, which is very dangerous for health.
If the refrigerator is large and roomy, and the apple harvest is not very abundant, then you should have no problems with storage, and you can maintain your immunity with vitamins almost until the new harvest. It's so wonderful to pamper yourself and your loved ones with a juicy fresh apple in the middle of winter. In addition, apples - a great ingredient that is included in the recipes of many dishes from salads and casseroles, to sauces and festive goose in apples. And baked apples with honey are a full-fledged healthy and tasty dessert, from which both children and adults are crazy.
Keep the fruit right, and then useful vitamins from your own garden will be on your table almost all year round, which means your immunity will be in order, and you are not afraid of illness.