An Apple Lover’s Guide To Storing Your Harvest
Did you know different types fruit and even different varieties of the same fruit often have unique storage and handling needs? Whether you are a part of our weekly Orchard CSA, are participating in one of our Community Orchard Volunteer Add-Ons, or are growing your own fruit at home, we want you to get the most out of your apple harvest! To help you do this, we share interesting information and helpful guides as the harvest season progresses.
Proper produce storage is easy to learn as long as you keep 3 things in mind:
TEMPERATURE ~ HUMIDITY ~ ISOLATION
As in life there are always a few exceptions to the rule, and every individual will have their own personal ideal scenario, but below we share some general “BEST PRACTICE” tips and tricks to help prevent waste, enhance flavor, and extend the storage life of your fruit.
Long after harvest, that apple in your hand is still a living “breathing” organism taking in oxygen and giving off carbon dioxide. Quietly, over the growing season it was busy at work building up a reserve of resources to feed itself long after it is cut off from the parent tree. As this brilliant reserve of sugars, starches, acids, and water is used up, the flavor and texture of the apple will change. Whether these changes are a good thing or not, depends on the stage of ripening when picked, the variety of apple, and the point at which this process is halted and the fruit consumed.
Certain varieties or cultivars are best suited for eating fresh when picked from the tree at full maturity, and others lend themselves to a longer storage life or are tastier when picked at minimum maturity and placed into cold storage for a length of time.
Temperature
Keeping apples in cold storage vs. out on the counter can more than double and sometimes even triple their shelf life.
The ideal range for storage of most apples is between 30-35 degrees Fahrenheit although some folks like to experiment with slightly higher temperatures.
The freezing temperature of apples is approx 27.8 to 29.4°F.
For longest storage life, it is preferable that the temperature stays close to freezing but never below because once thawed, frozen apples deteriorate quickly.
Humidity:
The ideal humidity for storage of apples is between 90 and 95%.
Proper (high) humidity prevents apples from becoming dehydrated & rubbery.
Keeping air circulating in your storage space will help keep temperature and humidity even.
Isolation:
Inspect all apples for bruises, cuts, and soft spots.
If you do find slightly damaged fruit, simply remove and ISOLATE these from the bunch to use up first.
A cut, bruise, or even some evidence of a bug visit (especially in organic fruit) does NOT mean your fruit is bad, just that it should be isolated so it does not speed the ripening process of other nearby produce
ORDER OF OPERATIONS
What to use first and what to store?
Slightly “Damaged” Fruit
No matter how careful you are during harvest, transport, and storage, it is inevitable your produce may hit a bump in the road. As stated above, a cut, bruise, or even some evidence of a bug visit (especially in organic fruit) does NOT mean your fruit is bad, it just means you should set it aside to use up first and it is not the best candidate for long term storage. In short - save the best looking apples for long-term storage,and use your imperfect apples, to eat now, or cook with.
Early Season Varieties
Sweet thin skinned early ripening varieties can be stored, but generally don’t last as long as late season varieties will. When creating a plan of attack for your first apple filled fruit boxes, consider having some recipes on the ready to use them up quickly!
The Big Ones!
If there is a choice, pick to use up the largest apples first, as they are often the first to show signs of internal breakdown.
Late Season Varieties
When deciding which apples are best candidates for longer term storage, Start with apples that keep well. The best apples for a long keeping life are usually those that ripen later in the season and the more tart and thick-skinned varieties.
STORAGE AREAS
The goal for any apple storage area is to maintain an ideal temperature with high relative humidity, while preventing the accumulation of excess moisture.
Refrigerator:
Store small quantities of apples inside of the crisper drawer either in a plastic bag with holes in it or cover them with a damp paper towel if you want to avoid single use plastic.
Keep them separated from vegetables because apples give off ethylene gas, which can speed the decay of neighboring produce.
Cellar, Unheated Outbuilding, Auxiliary Fridge, or Insulated Garage:
If you have a room or building that stays below 40 degrees but above freezing, it may be a good choice for the longer term storage of larger quantities of apples.
Sort The Apples
Different varieties of apples ripen at different speeds, so consider storing each kind on a separate tray or in separate crates. This will make it easier to identify and eat the early ripeners first.Protect Each Apple
This may sound like a tedious step, but if you really want to ensure success of long term bulk apple storage, it will help if the apples don’t touch each other because a damaged apple can cause the fruit around it to go bad. Some options are:Wrapping each apple individually in (non glossy) newspaper, brown paper bags, butcher paper, or paper towels.
Or skip wrapping and nestle them into a container with clean straw, sawdust, or even clean, damp sand.
Choosing a container:
Choose small to medium size boxes, baskets, trays or crates that will make it easy to check on your apples regularly. If you plan to make apple storage a regular part of your life, it might be worth it to build or invest in an apple storage rack which makes storing and checking in on your apples much easier.
Monitoring: Check regularly for signs of ripeness and spoilage, and remove any rotten apples before they have a chance to spoil the lot.
WE VALUE YOUR INPUT!
Do you have a great recipe or fun fact you would like to share? Your input is valuable and we would love to share your ideas! Please email any proposed additions or subjects for future blog posts to: communications@homeorchardeducationcenter.org
If you have enjoyed this content and see yourself as a part of the future of resilient community food systems, please consider helping out financially if you are in a position to do so. HOEC is a volunteer-driven 501(c)3 non-profit. Any amount helps no matter how small ❤️
