2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Even small children know about the benefits of apples. No wonder the British say that "whoever eats an apple a day does not visit the doctor." The healing properties of these fruits can be enumerated endlessly - they contain antioxidants useful for the human body, help in weight loss, reduce the content of bad cholesterol, etc. And in order to eat juicy apples throughout the year, it is important to take care of their proper storage. The most important thing is to properly prepare juicy fruits for winter storage
Why apples can't be stored with vegetables
It is strongly discouraged to store apples together with carrots, potatoes and other vegetables for the simple reason that they release ethylene very actively. The more mature and large the apples are, the more ethylene they will release.
If apples are stored near potatoes, both potatoes and apples will suffer. Stored potatoes under the influence of ethylene will begin to germinate very quickly, and apples lying next to it for a long time will acquire a very unpleasant starchy taste.
Storage temperature
Ideally, apples should be stored at a lower temperature - in this case, juicy fruits will emit less ethylene. The best temperature for their winter storage is 0 degrees. In this case, the lowest suitable temperature is considered to be minus one degree, and the maximum is plus five. With regard to the relative humidity of the air, it is recommended to maintain it in the range from 85 to 90% (limit value - 95%).
How long can apples be stored?
The shelf life of apples depends on their varieties: autumn varieties keep quite well at a temperature of about zero degrees for two months, and winter ones can easily be stored from four to seven months (more exact terms depend on the humidity and temperature indicators, as well as on the specific varieties). And winter varieties are better preserved at temperatures from zero to four degrees.
The best varieties for storage
The best keeping quality is typical for apple varieties of the middle lane, among which the following can be distinguished: Chosen One, Bogatyr, as well as Antonovka ordinary and Welsey. The varieties Melba, Northern Sinap, Vityaz and Orlovskoe Zimnee are also well preserved. Do not forget about such varieties as Mayak, Zhigulevskoe, Bananovoe and Kortland. As for the southern regions, the following varieties are considered the most lying there: Olympic, Starking, Jonathan, as well as Renet Simirenko and Crimean Aurora.
How to remove apples from trees
Everyone who wants to keep apples as long as possible should act competently from the very moment of harvesting the fruits. Fruit intended for storage must be picked at the time of the so-called ripeness. It occurs when ripe and healthy apples in the amount of five to six pieces daily have just begun to fall from the fruit trees. Remove apples from trees only in dry weather. During harvesting, in no case should you tear off the stalks and wash the matte film from the fruits - this is a natural waxy coating that protects apples. Well, in order not to injure the juicy fruits during harvest, they are first collected from the lower branches, gradually moving to the upper ones.
The apples removed from the trees are carefully placed in containers prepared in advance. Throwing them at the same time is strongly discouraged.
Sorting apples
Before you start sorting apples, it is recommended to hold them for two to three weeks in a cool room - during this time, the fruits will surely show signs of possible defects. After this time, the apples are carefully sorted out, selecting only healthy fruits that do not have any mechanical damage. Ideally, these fruits should be stalked.
Before sending them for storage, it is still better to separate the different varieties by varieties. It will not be superfluous to disassemble all the fruits in size: large apples are placed in one container, medium-sized fruits in the other, and small fruits in the third. At the same time, apples do not need to be washed or wiped - this can be done immediately before eating them.
Recommended:
How To Store Cilantro Properly. Part 1
Many people love cilantro, but keeping this rather delicate herb fresh is not always easy - it often begins to creep and rot. Nevertheless, if you approach the issue of its storage correctly, you can keep the cilantro fresh even for several months. And then you can enjoy delicious dishes with fresh herbs throughout the season
How To Store Cilantro Properly. Part 3
Continuing the topic of cilantro storage, one cannot fail to mention its storage in the increasingly popular paper towels - both wet and dry. If in the first case the greens will last for about five to seven days, then the second option will allow you to keep it for two to three weeks. However, each of these methods is good in its own way, so both options deserve attention. And which one to use - everyone decides for himself
How To Store Tomatoes Properly. Part 3
There are many ways to preserve your tomato crop, and each of them is quite effective. The third part of the article will discuss the secrets of early ripening and successful storage of these tasty and healthy vegetables. It turns out that you can save tomatoes not only whole, but also in sliced form. And tomatoes that start to spoil are quite possible to reanimate. How to do this will be described below
How To Store Tomatoes Properly. Part 2
Having figured out how to store fresh, green and sun-dried tomatoes, you can proceed to familiarizing yourself with information on how to preserve canned and dried fruits. The rules for storing tomatoes in the refrigerator will not be ignored either. Although it is not advised to keep them there, sometimes you still need to cool the tomatoes, so that such knowledge will be useful for every housewife
How To Store Apples Properly. Part 2
In the first part of the article, we figured out how to properly remove apples from trees and sort them, and also why these fruits cannot be stored together with vegetables. We also found out which varieties are considered the most suitable for storage, how long the cherished harvest can be kept and what temperature is required for this. Now is the time to talk about options for storing apples and how to stack them, because it is these factors that completely depend on how long it will be possible to preserve these juicy and
