It’s so easy to get your hands on crisp, juicy apples any time of the year that you almost forget they have a season.
These hugely popular fall fruits can be spotted in supermarkets and local grocery stores all year round in an amazing variety, from Fuji to Granny Smith. While not as fickle as their rose family relatives, like plums and peaches, apples can last even longer with the right storage strategy.
Below, you’ll find expert tips and storage hacks to extend the life of your stock of apples for as long as possible.
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How to Choose Apples for a Long-Lasting Bounty
Apples can last from a few weeks to several months, depending on the variety, storage method, as well as the condition they were in during purchase.
As delicious and crunchy as they are, Honeycrisp is notorious for spoiling quickly. If you want a long-lasting bounty, choose apples that are:
- Firm and small: Opt for small apples like Granny Smith as they have thicker skin and hold their shape well. This makes them last longer than their bigger, thin-skinned counterparts like Golden Delicious.
- With intact stem: Look for apples that still have a piece of their stems on. Without it, apples become vulnerable to fungi and bacteria attacks during storage, especially at the spot where the stem used to be.
- Unblemished peel: If you pick ones with blemishes, bruises, and nicks, not only will they spoil quickly, but also rot your entire stock. Remember the adage “a bad apple spoils the bunch”?
Watch Out for Ethylene
If you’ve had the chance to read some of our other blogs on produce storage, you would’ve noticed we keep harping on the importance of keeping ethylene gas producers away from those sensitive to it.
Related Article: How to Store Tomatoes
Apples vent ethylene gas, and it’s best to keep them away from other fruits as it can cause others to overripen and go bad quickly. The spoilage process speeds up if the apple is bruised as it tends to emit more gas, eventually ruining everything around it.
Don’t worry. Storing apples is quite easy as long as you store them in separate containers.
How to Store Whole Apples
When you’re buying apples at a supermarket instead of a local farmer’s market, know that they’ve traveled quite a distance to reach you.
So, if you leave them out at the counter, they’ll only last a week or two. The best way to extend the shelf life of your apples is to store them in a cool, dry place away from sunlight, like a root cellar, if the temperature is low enough.
However, if you live in a warm place, storing them unwashed in the refrigerator’s bottom shelf crisper drawer is your best bet.
Refrigerator
Apples do well in cold conditions as long as the temperature is above freezing. In fact, any temperature in the range of 31° and 35°F would work beautifully. If it’s any colder, the cells will break down, turning the fruit into a mushy mess.
Under ideal temperature in the fridge’s crisper unit, apples can keep good for six to eight weeks if you’ve done a good job at selecting firm, bruise-free apples. If you spot a mushy or blemished peel, consume the fruit immediately or toss it out.
Remember to store them away from other produce, preferably in separate bags or drawers, as their porous texture absorbs the smells and flavors of other fruits and vegetables like a sponge.
The perfect apple storage bags should keep the humidity while allowing the ethylene gas to escape, like our reusable produce bags.
Apples need some moisture to keep fresh. Placing a damp paper towel over the fruit will supply it with the right amount of moisture. Be sure not to store whole apples in airtight conditions.
Countertop
Room temperature conditions such as a kitchen countertop can keep whole apples good for up to two weeks as long as long as they are away from direct sunlight.
You can pile them in a separate bowl or bag. Make sure to check for bad apples every day and remove them to stop others from going bad.
How to Store Sliced Apples to Keep Browning at Bay
Once cut, it doesn’t take long for apple slices to start browning. This happens due to a biochemical reaction that is triggered when an apple’s flesh gets exposed to oxygen.
They may still be good to eat despite looking not so appetizing. You can slow down enzymatic browning by soaking the slices in a brine solution made by adding one-fourth teaspoon of salt to about two cups of water.
Rinse well before eating it or placing it in the fridge.
Another proven trick to halt browning is to coat sliced apples in acidic juice, like lemon, orange, or pineapple juice, if you don’t mind a tinge of zestiness.
This can stave off browning for about a few hours at room temperature and even longer if you pop it in the refrigerator.
The above hacks only work to slow down the discoloration process. In the refrigerator, the shelf life of a cut apple, regardless of whether you treat it or not, usually varies from three to five days.
Store them in resealable bags or airtight containers for best storage results.
How to Store Apples Through the Winter
Have you bought one too many apples this fall and are looking to store them through the winter or maybe even longer? We’ve got you covered!
Thankfully, with the right storage conditions, apples can stay ready for consumption for up to a year.
- Find a cold, dry, dark place: As long as the temperatures don’t plunge below freezing, there’s no place better than a root cellar for storing apples through the winter. Don’t have a root cellar? No problem. You settle for other places in your home that mimic root cellar conditions. Choose a dark, adequately ventilated spare corner in the pantry, unheated basement, or attic where the temperature is in the 32° and 40°F range and humidity levels are 80 to 95%.
- Wrap individually: It might feel a bit time-consuming, but wrapping each apple in paper (newspaper, paper towel) works wonders for long storage. This extra layer of protection ensures that even if one apple goes bad, it doesn’t contaminate the stock.
- Arrange in a single layer: Once wrapped, carefully place apples in a single layer in an insulated box, crate, or drawer. Insulation will help regulate the storage temperature. Make sure the container does not cut off airflow. Position the apples so that they don’t rub against each other.
- Choose long-storing varieties: Firm apples with thicker skin tend to last longer than other varieties. Some popular long-storing varieties are Fuji, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Arkansas Black, and Rome.
- Inspect frequently: Even long-storing apples can spoil quickly if their peel is bruised. So make it a habit to check the batch often and remove any that show signs of spoilage. If you’re storing more than one produce, such as potatoes, in the same location, keep them away from the apples.
How to Freeze Apples
Freezing is another wonderful technique to extend the shelf life of your autumn apple harvest. However, keep in mind the texture of a thawed apple may be soft and mealy. You can still use them in smoothies and for baking.
If you’ve made up your mind to freeze apples, here’s what you need to do: Wash and dry whole apples well and line them in a single layer.
Pop them in the freezer for about an hour. Once they feel firm, move them into freezer-friendly bags or airtight containers.
Freeze cut apples by peeling and removing the core and then chopping them into chunks or slices.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and flash-freeze the fruit until solid. Next, transfer them to zip-lock freezer bags after pressing out excess air.
Don’t expect thawed apples to be crisp. Their cell structure undergoes a massive transformation during the freezing journey. They’ll still taste good, but the texture would be better suited for apple pies, smoothies, cider, and applesauce.
Final Thoughts
When you have gorgeous, crisp apples, the last thing you want is for them to go bad because of poor storage. With this detailed guide, we hope you’ll be able to keep them in the best possible condition for a long time.
Even if you find some apples sporting bruises and dents, don’t immediately toss them out. You can put them to use by cutting out the unappetizing bits and adding the rest to sweet and savory recipes.
But if they smell funny, show signs of mold growth, or start oozing liquid from the skin, don’t think twice - just throw them out.