A rich harvest from your own apple orchard is the joy of every gardener. And how you want to keep, if possible, tasty and healthy fruits for a longer time, in order to be able to use vitamins in their natural form in the autumn-winter period.
There are many ways to preserve fruit, but keeping it fresh is more beneficial. To know how to properly store apples, you will need to study all the intricacies of this matter - from choosing a variety that has the ability to maintain its qualities for a long time, to the necessary temperature conditions and the optimal level of humidity. Only observance of all the nuances will allow you to save the crop to the maximum.
Content:
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Fundamental rules
Not all types are suitable for storage
Only certain varieties can be kept, those. possess keeping quality, do not lose properties for a long time.
Let's get started right
Popular kindshaving good keeping quality:
- Antonovka ordinary
- Bogatyr
- Knight
- northern synapse
- Zhigulevskoe
- Lighthouse
- Oryol winter
- Chosen One
- Cortland
- Banana
- Melba
- Welsey
- Jonathan
- Aurora Crimean
- Renet Simirenko
- Starking
- Olympic
The duration of their preservation depends on the correctness of picking fruits.
Flaws are unacceptable
If you comply with existing standards, the crop can remain natural for a long time:
- picking is carried out in the period of removable maturity
- wet weather is not suitable for picking
- Fruit tails do not come off
- natural wax coating (matte film) on the surface of the fruit must be preserved
- nothing should be thrown, but neatly stacked
- to avoid possible damage, start assembling from the bottom up
The crop is carefully sorted.
Apple Sorting Machines
To begin with, plucked and boxed apples are removed for up to 3 weeks in a cool place. During this time, possible damage appears.
Further, the following points must be observed:
- only good fruits can be preserved and, preferably, with tails
- regrading is not allowed in one container
- small and large fruits are placed separately
- everything collected is not washed and wiped
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apple storage
After a careful check, the fruits are packed for preservation, for which there are various options.
Easy styling
Easy styling
Everything is stacked in rows. The sticks are placed up. Moreover, if they are too long, they must be cut so that the surface of neighboring fruits is not damaged.
There is no space between fruits. and they can be stacked in large numbers.
This method is not sustainable because the resulting rot spreads between the fruits. The harvest will need to be checked as often as possible.
Wrapping in paper
Wrapping in paper
Each apple is individually wrapped in paper (paper napkin) and laid down in rows. Tails should look up.
If the raw materials are selected good, the crop will lie in integrity for a long period by this method.
Oversleeping
Sprinkle with sawdust
You will need loose components, such as sand and ash. The sand is washed and dried.
The bottom of the basket is covered with sand and ash (about 3 cm thick). Next, fruits are placed at a distance from each other. Material is poured on top. This can fit several rows.
Other components can also serve as an interlayer:
- buckwheat husk
- linen tow
- onion peel
- husk
- peat
- moss
- dry tree leaves
- hardwood shavings
- sawdust
The fruits, sprinkled among themselves, are perfectly kept in cold weather.
Use of plastic bags
Suitable plastic bags
Plastic bags are a good storage alternative. They need to be cut, due to which ventilation will be carried out. Next, stocks of the same variety are added (about 2-4 kg in 1 bag) and twisted.
Required temperature regime for this method -10C - +10WITH. The basement is the best place.
In its absence, stocks in bags can lie in an open area, in a previously dug recess (40-50 cm). At such a depth in the cold, the temperature is set to -50C - -70C. Stocks are placed in plastic bags (about 5-6 kg per 1 bag) and on the recess. At the bottom sprigs of spruce or juniper are covered. This will keep mice away. Then everything is covered with soil.
To search for buried supplies, an identification mark is installed.
Under the ground, fruits are perfectly preserved until the next warm season. For greater safety from possible frosts, the top of the recess is covered with fallen leaves.
Carbon dioxide treatment
After processing, the package is sealed
With the help of carbon dioxide and cellophane bags, it is also possible to save the collected stocks for a long time. To do this, bags of folded fruit are filled with carbon dioxide (using a water carbonation device) and sealed.
UV treatment
germicidal ultraviolet lamp
For treatment with a bactericidal ultraviolet lamp (BUF-60), stocks are arranged in 1 tier. The distance of the lamp location is 1.5 m. The exposure time is 20-30 minutes.
During the procedure, the fruits are turned over 1 time for uniform irradiation. According to the reviews of summer residents who have already tested this method, the processed crop does not rot throughout the winter period.
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The necessary conditions
apple storage
Whichever option is chosen for preservation, it is important to create the necessary conditions. How long the qualities will be saved is also affected by the properties of the selected view.
Place
Basement is the best place to store
An apartment building is not a good place to store apple stock. But in the absence of more suitable alternatives, the fruit will lie for about 2 months. To do this, they are pre-wrapped in cling film or soft paper, and then folded into containers (cardboard, wood) and put away in the coolest place with good ventilation.
On the advice of experienced gardeners, if possible, it is desirable to pre-treat stocks with beeswax, pre-melted. Glycerin or acetylenic acid solution is also used for processing.
The following cool places are suitable for storing winter supplies:
- refrigerator
- balcony
- cellar
- basement
Before laying in the refrigerator, the fruits are packed in plastic bags, in which punctures are made for good gas exchange, or wrapped in paper, and then folded into cardboard boxes.
Basements are the perfect environment for food storage
You can save stocks well if you have an insulated balcony. Although in the very cold it is better to cover the fruit from above with warm clothes. And for greater reliability, you can use a special thermal box, which is easy to make on your own.
For this, 2 boxes of thick cardboard are prepared, different in size by 15-20 cm, and stacked one inside the other. Insulation is placed in the gaps between the boxes, and outside there is a foam sheathing. The box is ready to use.
Basements are subject to preliminary disinfection treatment:
- The walls are whitewashed with freshly slaked lime with the addition of copper sulfate
Payment:
- water - 10 l
- lime - 1.5 kg
- copper sulfate - 150 g
- The floor is sprayed with a solution of iron sulfate. Calculation for 10 liters of water - 450-500 g of iron sulfate
Tara
The basis of the container can be any
Parameters and configuration of containers that can save fruit, irrelevant. The basis from which they are made can be either natural (wooden boxes, paper boxes, wicker baskets) or synthetics.
Containers (new or previously used) are cleaned and disinfected before use.
Low temperatures and inadequate humidity can damage
Temperature regime
Fruit storage for apples
The most suitable temperature regime to conserve apple supplies: +10C - -10WITH. At lower temperatures, prepared supplies begin to deteriorate.
Humidity
Room humidity measuring device
The required humidity level is 85-95%. Below the level of humidity leads to rapid aging of the crop. Good ventilation is also required.
Read also: Apple tree: description of the 25 best varieties with gardeners' reviews about them Shelf life
The shelf life of apples ranges from 2 to 7 months.
The preservation of fruit depends on the qualities of the selected species:
- Autumn species can lie up to 2 months. at a temperature of 00WITH
- Winter species are well preserved up to 7 months. (depending on the properties of a certain type) at a temperature of 00C - +50WITH
Read also: Pear: description of the 24 best varieties with their photos and reviews of gardeners
gardening tips
Straw can give off an unpleasant odor
Some useful tips when collecting apple supplies:
- In order to prevent rotting, the moisture level of sand for pouring should not exceed 5%
- Straw is not used as a storage material, because it gives off a bad smell
- With the help of do-it-yourself paper strips, notched at the same intervals and arranged crosswise, you can make square cells. With the help of such partitions there will be no contact
- Fruit bags, before burying them in the ground, are conveniently tied with a rope, and its ends are let out. These ends are attached to a stick, for which you can get all the supplies.
- An apple, when removed from a tree, is easily separated from the branch and is not damaged if it is carefully taken in the palm of your hand and turned with a stick
- If the fruits have been overfed with fertilizers, they will not store well.
- Watering the tree during the ripening of fruits is bad for their keeping quality.
VIDEO: How to keep apples in the winter correctly and for a long time?
How to keep apples in the winter correctly and for a long time?
How to properly store apples for the winter at home: we study the subtleties and possibilities | (Photo & Video)
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Drying apples
If there are doubts about the possibility of keeping a large number of stocks fresh for a long time, you can choose a different type of preparation. The most popular options are described below.
Soak
Soak
Suitable for everyone varieties.
Process:
- The bottom of the container is covered with currant leaves
- Next up are the apples.
- Everything is filled with brine
Brine:
- Water - 10 l
- Sugar sand - 400 gr.
- Salt - 2 tbsp. spoons
Drying
Drying
The easiest method.
Process:
- The fruits are cut into slices and sent to dry in the sun or in special dryer
- Dried fruits are stored in cotton bags
Puree
Puree
Compound:
- Sugar sand - 200 gr
- Apples - 2 kg
Process:
- Fruits are peeled and boiled for 10 minutes
- The mass is drained into a colander to drain excess liquid.
- The mixture is mixed with sugar and boiled for 5 minutes.
Jam
Jam
Ingredients:
- Sugar - 1.5 kg
- Apples - 2 kg
Process:
- The fruits are peeled and boiled for 10 minutes
- Sugar is added
- The mass continues to cook for another 15-20 minutes
Marmalade
Marmalade
Constituent components:
- Apples - 1 kg
- Sugar sand - 800 gr
Process:
- Peeled fruits are filled with water
- The remaining cores and peel, due to the large amount of pectin, are not thrown away, but placed in a gauze bag and also sink to the bottom of the dish
- Everything is cooked for 15-20 minutes
- Sugar is added
- The mass continues to cook for another 10 minutes
Compote
Compote
Process:
- apples are cut
- Everything stacks up in a jar
- Sweet hot syrup is added
- Bank is twisted
Syrup:
- Water - 3 l
- Sugar sand - 500 gr
Juice
Juice
Ingredients:
- Apple juice - 1 l
- Sugar sand - 1 tbsp. a spoon
Process:
- Using a juicer to squeeze the liquid out of fruit
- Sugar is added and the drink is ready
Tincture
Tincture
Compound:
- Apples - 2.5 kg;
- Sugar - 2 kg;
- Vodka - 500 ml;
- Water - 8 liters.
Process:
- Fruit is cut and placed in a container
- Add vodka and water
- The container is removed in a warm room for 14-16 days.
- Sugar is falling asleep
- The liquid is removed in a warm place for 10-12 days.
- The drink is bottled and stored in a cool room for another 1 month
- After the tincture is well infused, it can be consumed
Freeze
Freeze
Process:
- The fruits are cut into small pieces.
- Prepared raw materials are packed in a bag and sent to the freezer.
Read also: How to grow tulips by March 8 at home? Planting, distillation, storage and other subtleties Delicious off-topic addition
Cookbook of Leo Tolstoy's wife
On the Internet, a book with recipes from the wife of the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy Sophia is very popular. She was a very good housewife and prepared many delicious and hearty apple dishes for her husband, who was a vegetarian. Below are a few recipes.
flat cakes
flat cakes
Ingredients:
- Antonovka apples - 10 pcs.
- Sugar - 410 gr
Process:
- Fruits are cut and transferred to a bowl, where they languish until soft.
- The mass is passed through a sieve and again returned to the stove
- It is the turn of adding granulated sugar and chopped zest
- The mixture is stirred with a spatula until it no longer lags behind the walls of the pan.
- Then everything is transferred to a metal pallet in an even layer (about 1 cm)
- The finished mass is cooled and cut into cakes
Cream
Cream
Ingredients:
- Baked apples Antonovka - 2 tbsp.
- Sugar sand - 2 tbsp.
- Egg - 1 pc.
- Gelatin - 1 spoon
- Vanilla - 1 piece
Process:
- Baked, mashed apples, granulated sugar and protein are taken. Everything is carefully whipped
- Gelatin is cooked. Vanilla is added next.
- Prepared gelatin is transferred to the apple mixture and everything is whipped again
- The finished cream is poured into molds
Paste
Paste
Components:
- Apples - 10 kg
- Sugar - 1.1 kg
- Proteins - 10 pcs
Process:
- Fruits are baked, rubbed through a sieve and cooled for a day
- Sugar and proteins are added. The mixture is whisked until smooth.
- Everything is shifted into molds and sent to the oven until cooked.
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There is no comparison with the pleasure of freshness and taste
Of course, no, even the most delicious, recipes and sterilization can not be compared with enjoying the taste of ripe fresh fruit in cold weather. We tried to tell as much as possible about all the convenient ways to save winter supplies at home. We hope that all the information will be useful and properly stored apples will allow you to enjoy their juiciness and freshness for a long time.
