Apples are not only a delicious fruit, but also an excellent source of a huge amount of vitamins and minerals that are simply necessary for our body. They are especially needed in winter and early spring, when the immune system is weakened, and a person is susceptible to all kinds of diseases. Yes, and the appearance of apples - rosy, fragrant - amuses the eye, pleases the taste and cheers up.
Basic procurement rules
"How to store apples for the winter?" - such a question is asked by any landlord who wants to preserve the harvest harvested from fruit trees. So that it does not disappear, and the sweet, appetizing fruits delighted you until the month of May, you need to observe several important rules.
- For storage, only winter and late winter varieties are taken, with a thick peel and dense pulp. Summer for these purposes are not suitable, they quickly lose their juiciness and are subject to decay. If we talk about specific names, then the varieties "Richard", "Semirenko", "Jonathan", "Golden", "Starking" and others "survive" until spring.
- The second rule regarding how to store apples for the winter is to collect them correctly and on time. The ideal time is the last week of September - the first quarter of October. Fruits by this time have already gained the required degree of ripeness, but still healthy, have not begun to rot. And the weather is still not cold, which can knock the fruits.
- Such a moment is also very important: you need to pick fruit from the branches together with the cuttings. Do not wash the wax coating from the skin. Fold in the buckets carefully, without hitting or damaging the sides. Collected leave in the basement for 10 days - to "sediment", then sort out.
Basic storage rules
And now specifically about how to store apples for the winter. There are several ways, each of which can be tried and applied.
- Sort apples by grades and sizes. With spots, traces of bruises immediately rejected. The rest should be laid out in cardboard boxes, wooden crates or pallets. You do not need to put too many rows in each container, especially if they are large and juicy fruits. Often apples are sprinkled with wood chips. Of course, it helps to preserve the freshness and juiciness of fruits. But with prolonged contact, they get an unpleasant odor. Therefore, an important condition for how to store apples for the winter in this way is this: keep them in the chips for no more than 2 months. Wash well before use and leave for a couple of hours so that the fruits find their natural flavor.
- A more convenient way is oiled paper. It helps to preserve the natural moisture of the fruit, prevents them from wrinkling and fading. Stack the wrapped fruits with cuttings up. And those that were a little greenish when collecting and storing will be well matched.
- The next way to store apples in winter is with plastic bags. In them load 2 kg, tie and put into boxes. The film will not allow air bacteria to spoil the fruits, and the carbon dioxide that they secrete will perfectly play the role of a natural preservative.
- Such advice on how to properly store apples can be relevant: a cool atmosphere, dry, ventilated air, and the absence of dampness. To avoid it, near containers with fruits, you can put containers with quicklime.