Apples need cold temperatures to stay fresh when stored for a long time. Usually, cold temperatures are enough to keep the apples fresh for a few weeks, but with a few extra tricks, you can keep them for several months.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Short Term Storage
Step 1. Use a good apple
Check your apples and separate the good apples from the bad or rotten ones. One bad apple can cause another to rot because apples produce ethylene gas when they rot. Therefore, you should not store rotten or damaged apples with good ones.
Step 2. Separate the bad apples and store at room temperature
When stored at room temperature in a basket, apples can stay fresh for up to two days. Not long indeed. Apart from that, for apples that have been damaged, you must eat them immediately because apples that have been damaged will rot faster.
If the apples are too spoiled to eat, you are better off throwing them outside for animal consumption. Even if no animals eat them, even rotting apples will become a food source for insects and other organisms that live underground
Step 3. Put the apples that are still good in the refrigerator
Apples will stay fresh longer when stored cold. Most modern refrigerators have special drawers for fruit and vegetables, and if yours has one, it's a good idea to store your apples there. If you don't have one, store your apples in an open plastic container at the very back of the refrigerator, which is the coldest place.
Step 4. Cover the container with a damp paper towel
In addition to cold temperatures, apples also need a little moisture to stay fresh. Placing moistened paper towels on top of the apples can provide enough moisture, but if you want to do this you need to make sure you don't store the apples in an airtight container.
Step 5. If possible, monitor the temperature of the refrigerator
If you can control the temperature in the fruit drawer in your refrigerator, set the temperature in the range of -1, 1 to 1.7 degrees Celsius, the ideal temperature for storing apples. If the temperature is too cold, the cells in the apple will break down, making the apple mushy and inedible. On the other hand, if the temperature is too high, such as 10 degrees Celsius hotter, apples can ripen or ripen twice as fast.
If you can't adjust the temperature of the fruit drawer in your refrigerator but you can still adjust the temperature of the refrigerator, place the thermometer in the fruit drawer, then adjust the temperature of your refrigerator until the thermometer shows the appropriate temperature
Step 6. Monitor the condition of the apples
With this method, apples can stay fresh for up to three weeks.
Method 2 of 2: Long Term Storage
Step 1. Store apples that are durable
Thick-skinned apples usually last longer when stored, whereas thin-skinned apples usually don't last that long.
In addition, make sure your apples are still in good condition. Apples that are bruised or damaged will produce ethylene gas and make other apples rot faster than usual, putting your efforts in vain
Step 2. Wrap each apple separately
All apples emit ethylene gas, even those that are in good condition. Because of this, apples that come into contact with each other when stored can rot faster. Also, if one apple starts to rot while in storage, it could contaminate other apples when it comes into contact, making many or all of your apples rot more quickly. Wrapping each apple will prevent most of the damage that can occur when the apples touch each other.
- Use four layers of newspaper for each apple. Choose a sheet of newspaper that does not have colored ink because colored ink is toxic.
- Place the apples on top of the newspaper pile, wrap one layer of newspaper, then twist each corner that meets. Don't wrap them too tightly as wrapping the apples is to prevent them from touching each other, not to block air. Do this until you have finished wrapping each apple.
Step 3. Cover the base of a wooden or cardboard box with a temperature insulator
The container should not be airtight as you don't want to lock the air circulation in your apples when storing them, but it's a good idea to protect them from the air. Lining the box can help regulate the temperature and air circulation in your apples. Line the box with straw or perforated plastic.
Step 4. Put your apples in the lined box
Line up side by side. Make sure the newspaper wraps are not loose or loose so the apples don't touch each other.
Step 5. Store apples in a cool place
There are several choices of places that you can choose from, such as the attic or basement. What is clear, the place is cold but not below freezing, because at the freezing point of water, the apple cells will be damaged and the apple will become mushy when it returns to a higher temperature.
Step 6. Do not store apples near potatoes
As they get older, potatoes release gases that make apples rot more quickly. You can keep them both in the same room but don't store them next to each other.
Step 7. Check your apples after a few months
With this storage method, your apples can stay fresh for several months, but will start to rot after that.
