Keep Apples Fresh Longer With A Clever Storage Tip

Regardless of what type of apples you have or how you plan to use them, ensuring that they stay fresh for as long as possible is a vital (yet difficult) task for many fruit lovers. Unfortunately, while many opt for the visually appealing option of placing their apples on a tray or a fruit bowl, the trick to keeping your apples from rotting actually relies on them remaining hidden from light and oxygen. To do this best, wrap your apples individually in newspaper, paper towels, or paper bags. Then, put them in a cardboard box and place it in a cold, dark place. This results in apples that can last several months without spoiling, making it a great trick for the winter season to ensure you never go without the delicious fruit.

Beyond storing apples in a dark area — which helps prevent deterioration due to light exposure – the reason why wrapping each apple individually in paper is effective is due to the fact that apples spoil much faster when in close physical contact with one another. Scientifically, this is due to the fruit's emission of ethylene gas that speeds up the ripening process and leads to bad apples much quicker. Bananas are similarly sensitive to one another, and storing bundles of bananas together is a rule that many can't stop breaking. Nevertheless, apples benefit from being stored within paper specifically due to its ability to help the fruit retain its juiciness and avoid both bruising and spoilage for around 6 to 8 weeks.

While ditching your fruit bowl for better apple storage and wrapping them in paper is the first step to keeping the fruit fresh, there are several other variables at play that you should also be keeping track of. The first way to ensure your apples stay fresh for a long period of time is by knowing how to pick the right ones in the first place. Picking apples with little to no bruising and a smooth, firm exterior indicates that the fruit is ideally mature and not yet over-ripened, making it more likely that it will retain its freshness for longer when you bring it home. Alternatively, picking apples that are slightly under-ripened can also be beneficial if you plan on storing them for upwards of a month, as the fruit will naturally continue to mature at home regardless of how well it's stored.

Beyond that, temperature control is similarly important to keep your apples from spoiling. Apples are intended to be kept at a temperature between 30 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and will degrade infinitely faster if kept at room temperature instead. For this reason, if you don't have a cool, dark, and secluded area of your house to store the fruit, wrapping them individually in a damp paper towel (which will help maintain their moisture) and placing them in your refrigerator's crisper is an ideal course of action you can take.