How to store apples for the winter: proper preparation at home

Despite the fact that many fruits, including apples, have lost the notion of seasonality, people are also trying to consume fruits characteristic of a certain season. To enjoy pure products from nitrates, not only in the summer months, but also in winter, you need to know how to store apples and take care of them when storing at home.

Contrary to popular belief, for this it is not necessary to freeze the fruit, cut into pieces, or to prepare from them conservation. If you wish, you can eat fresh fruits all winter long, you just need to know how to properly approach the creation of appropriate conditions.

Process features to consider

Ripe apples emit ethylene. The larger the fruit, the more gas enters the atmosphere. Taking into account the fact that this substance promotes more rapid ripening of fruits and vegetables, it is highly recommended not to store apples in the same room with traditional root crops( carrots, potatoes, beets).

For storing apples, it is better to allocate a separate room with a suitable temperature. The optimum is 0 ° C.In this case, ethylene is released in a small amount, and the flesh of the fruits does not freeze. The permissible limits of the temperature regime, regardless of the season, are from -1 ° C to + 5 ° C.The humidity level should not exceed 85-95%.

Tip: Even if the potato stocks are constantly updated, do not store it in a basement with apples. Roots will not be anything, but the fruit will eventually acquire a specific and not the most pleasant starchy taste.

Do not forget that the storage times of apples in the home are directly dependent on the fruit variety:

• It is better not to put summer grades at all for long-term storage.
• Autumn varieties retain their original quality and taste for 2 months while maintaining the temperature at 0 ° C.
• Winter varieties can easily survive in the basement from 4 to 7 months. The exact time depends on the particular variety, temperature and humidity. By the way, winter apples are more correctly stored at plus temperature.

Unfortunately, at home, it is not always possible to achieve optimal environmental parameters. But still, if you follow the basic recommendations, there is a chance to achieve the maximum possible result.

How to properly prepare apples for storage?

There are many ways how to keep apples in optimal form for the winter, but regardless of the approach chosen, the fruits need to be sorted before the beginning of the process:

1. The fruit lasts longer without stains, dents, cracks, any breaches of the integrity of the skin. When working with fresh products do not need to squeeze them, this contributes to their rapid deterioration.
2. Worms are considered to be the purest apples, they can not be stored.
3. Apples with whole pedicels last longer. If this part is not present, then the fruit will quickly begin to deteriorate due to various fungal diseases.
4. When tearing or preparing fruits at home, do not wipe them. A natural wax coating will contribute to their longer storage.

After proper preliminary preparation, we distribute apples according to grades and size. This will not only allow you to choose the right fruits with all conveniences, but will also extend the shelf life.

The most simple and convenient ways of storing fruits

The following options are most suitable for storing apples at home:

• Use of racks. Very convenient option, in which you can purchase ready-made designs or assemble your own. It is best to choose a device with pull-out sections, in which the fruits are laid out in one layer. For apples to survive the winter, they should be placed so that they do not come into contact with each other.
• Using wooden boxes. Very popular method, which has its own nuances. Most often, owners prefer to put boxes one on top of another to save space. In this case, it will be correct not to fill the containers with fruit under the string. Otherwise, they will start to get fixed and this will quickly deteriorate. In addition, fruits should be spread only with their hands, so they will not hurt and will not be beaten. Carefully watch that the stems do not scratch the skin of the neighboring apples. When using high drawers and multi-layer laying, we must lay all the layers with special supports.

• Use of wooden containers. This option is suitable only if you work with fresh apples that are not planned to be stored for months. For the whole winter fruit, pressing against each other, in any case will not stand.
• Use of cardboard boxes. This approach is also often resorted to at home. In this case, the storage of apples is carried out on the same principle as in the case of wooden boxes. The main thing is to carefully glue all the cracks with tape so that the structure does not fall apart.

Not only it is important, in what direction the peduncle is turned, it is necessary only to achieve the maximum accuracy of the masonry. Again, it does not matter in what order the fruits are located, if only they do not touch and do not press against each other. If there are a lot of fruit and decompose them in separate rows it does not work out, then it is worth remembering that those apples that are located at the bottom of the box will quickly deteriorate. They should be used first.
If you plan to store only a few kilograms of apples at home, you can take additional steps to process them:

• Fruits are wrapped in newspapers, paper towels or oiled parchment. True, from the first option, the owners are increasingly refused, tk.there is a risk of poison from the ink entering the food.
• Often the fruit is poured with hardwood shavings.
• Some use straw, but according to numerous reviews the fruits after that acquire a specific taste.

More "advanced" gardeners prefer to fumigate the containers themselves for storing apples or premises. This also gives a certain advantage, but only if all manipulations are carried out according to the rules.