How to keep apples fresh for the winter at home?

No wonder they say that eating one apple every day will help protect you from many ailments. And indeed it is. The ripe fruits of this tree contain the most important and necessary components that help the body to be healthy. Having received a good harvest from apple trees, I want not only to use the fruits as jam, to make dried blanks, but also to leave them fresh for consumption. We will talk about how you can preserve a ripe harvest of juicy apples for the winter at home, about harvesting and optimal storage conditions for fruits.

When sending fruit for storage, it should be remembered that only apples of certain varieties can be kept fresh until next season.

Not every type of apple has a high keeping quality. So, for summer varieties, shelf life is 2-3 weeks. They can be left to ripen at room temperature. Later they turn black and start to rot. Autumn varieties will not lose their presentation for 2-3 months. Winter fruits will be able to maintain all qualities until spring.

Not all fruits are freeze-resistant... For summer varieties, a sharp and prolonged decrease in temperature (below 0 degrees) will be disastrous. Winter varieties do not freeze at this temperature, often becoming even tastier.

It is customary to leave them for the winter, they can calmly lie in storage without losing their taste and other qualities for more than six months. After harvesting, such fruits do not have a pronounced aroma, taste and fleshiness; outwardly, they look less attractive than other varieties. They, unlike other options, should not be eaten immediately. Once removed from the tree, they ripen, enhancing the flavor and visual characteristics.

For long-term storage, it is advisable to choose varieties of late ripening, the collection of which is carried out starting from the end of September or at the beginning of the month following it.

It is better to harvest for long-term storage from mature apple trees that grow on the south side of the site and receive enough sunlight. Young trees, in turn, can be attacked by pests, diseases, therefore, when laying with such fruits, problems often arise.

Subject to the storage conditions provided for the autumn varieties, they will remain until the New Year... Later - winter - varieties can last until the end of spring. Their shelf life is about seven months.

When choosing fruits, some important points are taken into account.

• Early winter varieties will be stored until January. These include Antonovka, Winner, Macintosh, Saffron pepin. They will be able to maintain their original appearance and quality until December-January. Later they become friable, their appearance and taste deteriorate.
• Winter apples will not lose their qualities until March. Imrus and Wales will remain until mid-January. The varieties Idared, Red Delicious, Kastel, Sinap Orlovsky and Veteran will be stored longer. They will stay fresh until mid-April.
• Late winter varieties can be stored in storage until June. The varieties that can remain fresh for a long period include the varieties Olesya, Zarya and Alatau, as well as Champignon, Verbnoe and Bananovoe.

For longer storage, varieties with a thick skin are chosen. The most reliable options include Antonovka, Renet Simirenko, Bogatyr and Jonathan.

Harvesting the apple tree is the first preparatory stage before laying it for further storage. Incorrect conduct of this event can lead to the fact that even fruits with good keeping quality will quickly lose their presentation and taste.

Most experienced gardeners use wicker baskets as containers. In the event that apples are collected in buckets, other metal or aluminum containers, they are laid inside with a piece of cloth or burlap so that the fruits are not chipped. It is very important to use a clean container, it must be dry.

When collecting fruits, take into account the following points.

• It is recommended to do the work, when fallen specimens are already visible under the trees... Usually, during the day, they fall to 5-7 pieces.
• Harvest on a dry dayso that excessive moisture does not adversely affect the further storage of the product.
• When harvesting apples, the stalks are not torn off... If it is too long, it is better to cut it a little with scissors so that the tip cannot damage the thin peel of the fruit.
• You should not wipe the plucked apples or wash them, after all, this will damage the wax coating, which serves as a protective peel.
• The tree should not be shaken otherwise the fruit will fall and be injured.

Fruits growing on an apple tree are plucked with tails. They are carefully placed in the container chosen for this, without throwing them. Harvesting begins with the lower branches, gradually moving to the top.

You can also collect fruits that have fallen from the apple tree, but they are not used for storage. They are suitable for making compotes, jams, they can also be used as a base for dessert, pie fillings.

When collecting it is recommended to set aside wormy, beaten or substandard specimens, as well as apples without a stalk, separately. If fruit is damaged, wormholes are present, or if there is no wax layer, the storage of fruits will be significantly reduced. The absence of a peduncle in the future often leads to the occurrence of fungal diseases.

To preserve the harvest for a long time, it is necessary not only to remove apples from the tree on time, to transport them correctly, but also to know in what conditions to store them.

So that apples are stored without losing their taste, do not rot and do not attract foreign odors, they are kept in dry rooms with optimal temperature and humidity. A temperature of about 0 degrees is considered appropriate. In this case, the humidity should be within 90%. A dark place is more suitable for storage.

When laying a crop, you need sort the fruits in advance by selecting apples with a similar ripeness and having the same size. Ripe fruits emit ethylene, which helps them ripen more quickly and other fruits nearby.

When sending to be stored for a long time, it is recommended to preliminarily leave fruits for several days to cool them down. It is then advisable to sort out the chilled fruits again and remove the specimens with traces of spoilage or rot. To prevent the fruit from spoiling, they should not be kept in unsuitable conditions for a long time.

In large industrial enterprises, specially designed premises are used for the long-term preservation of vegetables and fruits. In such a warehouse, the crop can be in complete safety for the required time.

At home, you can store your crops in your garage or attic. It is important that these rooms have the right temperature and ventilation. The best place for placing ripe fruits in a private house is the basement.

Before laying, it is important to carefully prepare the room in advance. Make sure the basement is free of mold. To protect against its appearance will allow copper sulfate treatment... It is also important to check for good ventilation.

Using a basement will allow you to maintain a full harvest until the onset of warmth. If there is no basement or other suitable room, you can keep containers with apples in the apartment, for example, on the balcony.

The availability of suitable containers also plays a significant role in the preservation of vitamin fruits. As a container, boxes made of wood, plastic or cardboard products are often used. Wicker baskets and plastic bags can also be used. However, wooden boxes are most suitable for these purposes.

The shape and design of the container may vary. It is important that it is clean, durable, and free to let air through. The presence of holes or openings will prevent the fruit from decaying and starting to rot. If the container is reused, it is washed and disinfected.

Many gardeners do not always know what temperature parameters should be to ensure the best preservation of the harvested crop. Storage temperature should be between 0 or -1 degrees to +5. The ideal indicator is considered to be in the range from +1 to +4, although in a basement or other storage this parameter is not so critical.

It is also important to maintain the correct humidity at the location of the containers with the crop. She in such premises should be about 85–95%. At a lower value, the fruits will soon lose their elasticity and begin to become lethargic. This will be prevented by containers with water placed next to the crop.

To ensure the best preservation of apples, you need to keep them away from other vegetables and fruits. Equally important are the correct laying of the fruits, the creation of an optimal microclimate, and the use of suitable containers. It is worth figuring out whether it is possible to store them in a vacuum package or food film or whether it is better to lay the crop in a hole, keep it in boxes, or simply sprinkle it on a rack.

There are different ways to store the harvested crop.

• One of them is to wrap each copy with soft paper or a napkin.... This method is considered quite laborious and is more suitable for varieties that are distinguished by a high presentation and excellent taste characteristics. The wrapped fruits are laid out in a suitable container so that their stalks are on top.
• Plastic bags are also suitable as containers. At the same time, it is important that they are not used before - they must be new. They put 2-3 kg in bags and leave them for 2 days, without tying them, so that there is no condensation. After that, the bags are tied and several punctures are made for ventilation. The fruits packed in this way can be left in the apartment or sent to the basement. Putting a cotton sponge abundantly moistened with vinegar or alcohol in the bag, you can provide longer-term storage for the specimens placed inside.
• To improve keeping quality, fruits are wrapped in paper, kept in straw or sawdust... You can also shift them with onion or buckwheat husks, use peat or moss. When laying out the fruits, the sprinkle is poured into the container in a layer up to 4 cm thick. Then the apples are laid on top, trying not to touch each other. On top of the fruits, the next layer is again poured so that it completely covers the fruits.
• If the apples will be stored in an apartment, it is better to wrap them with napkins or plastic wrap, then put them in a box and find the coolest, but very well-ventilated place. You can also grease apples with wax (melted), glycerin or acetylenic acid solution.
• Can be used for the preservation of the crop and refrigerator. At the same time, it is better to wrap the apples and place them in fruit boxes.
• You can also keep copies in the freezer. As a whole, it is impractical to store them, so they are cut into slices, removing the core. The stocks prepared in this way are laid out in plastic bags. Initially, the temperature in the freezer is set at -23 degrees, and the fruits are kept for 3 hours. Then the temperature is set to -18. With these parameters, the workpiece can be stored for up to 12 months.

A balcony can be used as a suitable place. To prevent the crop from freezing, it is better to cover it in advance using old warm clothes, blankets. A good solution would be to buy a special thermal box. If you wish, you can make it yourself, using two cardboard boxes, different in parameters, with a heater laid between them.

One of the most popular ways is to put apples in boxes. Lay them out in layers, without making gaskets between them, with the stalk up. Better do not make more than 3 layers, to ensure adequate ventilation. Wooden boxes or plastic products, paper options are suitable as containers. The disadvantage of this method is that when rot appears on the fruits in the lower layer, it will not be easy to see and remove the missing specimen.

If the fruit yield is not very large, apples can simply be scattered on the rack. To do this, it is enough to lay out the crop in one layer on structures installed along the walls.

To preserve the harvest for a long time will allow laying fruits in holes, that is, directly into the ground. To do this, they dug a hole 60x45x45 cm in advance, then cover the bottom with branches of coniferous, juniper trees.

After that, they are engaged in the preparation of the fruits. They are placed in polyethylene bags or fabric bags. It is necessary to pierce the bag, thereby allowing the ethylene to escape.

The containers are laid out in one layer in a hole, keeping a distance of 25 cm. The filled trench is covered, covered with earth, covered with branches, dry grass and leaves.

It is important to lay in the hole when the soil temperature is about 7 degrees Celsius. Doing so early can cause the fruit to spoil quickly due to the high temperature.

For regions with mild winters, storage in piles is suitable. To do this, you must first dig a ditch, the depth of which should be 30 cm, its width - 150 cm. The length of the ditch can be any, depending on the desire and the number of laid fruits.

At the bottom of the structure it is necessary:

• lay branches, trim boards or poles - using them will ensure good circulation of the air mass under the containers;
• boxes must be installed in 2 rows, thus ensuring ventilation;
• the next row of boxes is placed on top.

Ventilation ducts (20 x 20 cm) must be installed between the drawers. They are made every 1.5 meters.

On the sides, the boxes must be lined with wood shields, covered with a large layer of straw on top, about 50 cm, sprinkled with earth (10 cm). With the onset of severe cold weather, the soil layer is increased, if necessary, it is covered with straw on top. This method is suitable for fruits with a high degree of keeping quality.

By following the advice of experienced gardeners, you can preserve the harvested apple crop for a long time.

• It is necessary to remove the fruits from the tree without waiting for frost. Frozen fruits will not be stored for a long time.
• It is recommended that you put the fruit in buckets instead of one at a time. So that the fruits are not damaged, the container is lowered into a wooden container.
• Keeping the fruit under a UV lamp for 30 minutes will help kill harmful microbes.... You can also process apples with 5% salicylic acid, use a propolis solution. In addition, apples are bathed in melted beeswax or coated with glycerin.
• When laying apples in boxes, they are sprinkled with sand, moss or sawdust. It is better to arrange the specimens in a checkerboard pattern so that the stalk is not damaged.

Crop left for long-term storage is recommended to be examined from time to time. It is important to check the condition of the fruits in a timely manner, their safety. At the first signs of rot, it is necessary to remove spoiled specimens so that they do not infect neighboring fruits.

After laying the crop, you should regularly monitor not only the condition of the fruits, but also the room itself. Condensation must not form on the walls. When it appears, wipe the surface with a soft material. The walls in the basement can be treated with special biosecurity, but this is recommended infrequently... It is equally important to react in time to the appearance of rodents.