The apple is a typically autumnal fruit whose season extends throughout the cold months, thanks, to a great extent, to its long conservation. It is one of the fruits that best they hold in perfect condition stored in a chamber for weeks and even months, with an excellent post-harvest for producers and distributors. At home we can preserve apples by applying the same techniques easily.
It is true that today we have become accustomed to finding various types of apples in the market throughout the year, but we cannot deny that their best time is the autumn and winter months, and also when you most want to enjoy them. Stone fruits are disappearing and a multitude of apples of all colors and sizes return, whose harvest starts already at the end of the summer and it extends almost at the same time as the harvest or the collection of quinces, chestnuts and mushrooms, depending on the region and variety.
And they arrive at the right time, when the body asks us for more consistent food and fewer fruits served cold in the fridge, and we feel like it. bake them or transform them into compotes, combined with also autumn spices such as cinnamon, ginger or nutmeg, dried fruits or, in salty, game dishes and mushrooms.
Whoever is lucky enough to be able to pick their own apples may find themselves with a good shipment of fruit that cannot always be discharged at once, no matter how many preserves they prepare. Also if we have gotten over excited buying those delicious apples from the market or town, we should not panic; the Apple it can be kept very well keeping in mind some tips.
How to properly preserve fresh apples
Let’s remember first that apples are fruits climactericIn other words, they continue to ripen after harvesting, but they do so much more slowly than others such as bananas.
This feature makes give off ethylene, a gas that affects the most sensitive fruits and vegetables you may have around. That is why it is not convenient to store them with other products, unless we are looking, precisely, to accelerate their maturation. It is a practical trick when we have hard avocados.
The best apples to keep
Not all varieties are equally strong and durable. If you can choose, choose the more acidic or less sweet, with thicker skin and firmer and harder texture. Smaller specimens also tend to be better preserved than large ones.
They are very resistant apples such as Granny Smith, Fuji, Gala, McIntosh, Braeburn, Pink Lady or Honeycrisp. Exquisite pippin, unfortunately, tend to go bad sooner. If the apple has a somewhat mealy pulp, it is a sign that it will keep worse.
Choose the specimens well
If possible, take your time choosing each apple. Look at the collection date – look for the latest or most recent – and discard specimens with defects visible, such as bumps, cuts, gouges, bruises or bruises, tears, soft textures, etc. Make sure they also keep the tail.
In the case that you harvest your own apples or have bought in bulk, simply separate the copies that are somewhat damaged so that they do not affect the conservation of the other apples, and use them as soon as possible. Remember that if they have mold, they must be disposed of completely
Refrigerate the apples
Although the optimal storage conditions are different depending on the variety, season, region or the growing conditions themselves, in general it is a fruit that gets along well with the cold. In a chamber, at a professional level, they are kept for months at constant temperatures between 0 and 5ºC, in controlled atmospheres of high humidity and reduced oxygen.
At home, to preserve them in the medium and short term, room temperature may suffice if we live in a rather cool area. It is best to choose a place that is naturally cool, dry, dark and where air can circulate to avoid the formation of moisture or mold, such as non-hermetic baskets or boxes of ripening slats. A pantry or basement it would be a perfect place.
But if there is room in the fridge or we have an auxiliary or camping, it is the best option to ensure long-term conservation. The apples will last practically as freshly picked for many weeks refrigerated between 0º and 3ºC. If you don’t have a separate fridge, use the fruit drawer in your kitchen fridge, keeping the apples alone.
KitchenCraft Fridge and Freezer Thermometer with Minimum and Maximum Temperature Guide, Stainless Steel
Control the temperature so that the drawer is as cold as possible without going below -1ºC, or the apples will start to freeze and go bad. Some refrigerators are so powerful that they can freeze the products that are in contact with the back of it; it is not a bad idea to get a thermometer.
Add moisture
The more advanced refrigerators offer a separate atmosphere in the vegetable drawers, allowing the temperature and humidity to be controlled separately. It is important maintain adequate humidity so, if your appliance is one of those that overdries, you can spray the fruit occasionally with a little water, always avoiding puddles.
Another way to create moisture is to place damp cloths or kitchen paper next to the apples or cover them with it. In the fridge, a mat or special pad for vegetables in the base of the drawer will help maintain good humidity and air circulation.
Wenko Mat to Keep Food Fresh, Polyurethane, Green, 29.5x46x3 cm
If you bought apples packed in a plastic bag -something that we will probably stop seeing soon-, take advantage and keep said bag, but drill some holes. The plastic, inside the fridge, will generate its own humidity.
Wrap them in paper
Finally, as an optional bonus trick, you can go to the trouble of wrap some apples in paper Special for fruits or newspaper, trying not to lose too much ink, and with a single sheet.
This step is more recommended for fruits that we are going to store in the pantry or basement, at room temperature, not in the refrigerator, and for those destined for long storage of several weeks. The paper lets the fruit breathe but protects her of insects and also that a damaged specimen affects the others.
And if you have to exit quickly to apples that threaten to spoil, or you do not have much storage space, you can dehydrate them, make compote, applesauce, a multitude of cakes or biscuits, salty dishes or crispy chips.
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Photos | Unsplash – Pixabay – Marco Verch
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