After what was a brilliant harvest last year our apples just have exceeded expectation!
We picked lots of apples last year some eaten fresh from the tree - and it doesn't get better than that!
Some were blemished and so were either used up as soon as possible or stewed (some with blackberries) and popped in the freezer for use in pies, tarts and to accompany yoghurt or porridge throughout the rest of the year.
We don't have enough freezer space to store all our apples in this way and no space for more freezer space either. It's also good to have some unfrozen apples for cooking and eating. The problem is that each year we have wasted apples as the skins have dried out and gone wrinkly as many things do as they get older!
Anyway I'd read somewhere - can't remember where - that the best place to store apples was in the fridge. Now we just happen to have an old fridge freezer - the freezer part being full but the fridge part having plenty of space so we popped as many apples as we could into the salad drawers. We didn't do anything special like wrapping each apple in paper - we literally just piled them into the drawers.
Once the drawers were full we were left with the largest and best apples which we gave a little more attention - we did wrap these individually in paper, just to hedge our bets - and then they were spread out on the wire shelves.
And it has really worked! We are still using the apples and there is no sign of rotting or shrivelling up. In case you are wondering the dark mark on the apple at the front is a shadow and not a bruise! The only thing is some of the skins have gone a bit tough so some apples to be eaten fresh (well fresh from the fridge) have to be peeled. No hardship as they still taste better than many of the ones available in the supermarket. We had a 'fresh' Egremont Russet apple today and it was perfect no tough skin and really sweet and juicy!
Posts
I need apple trees! So much nicer than those shop bought ones. It would be so nice to have a stock of them for lovely apple crumble, apple pie, stewed apples, apple strudel... you get the picture - all good winter warming stuff!
ReplyDeleteI really need more freezer space and have been thinking for a while that I should perhaps get a bigger chest freezer so that I can store more veggies and fruit in. I really wouldn't have expected apples to keep so well in the fridge like that so it's a great tip to know. Now I just need some spare fridge space too...hhhmmmm....
ReplyDeleteGlad at least one of your storing methods has come out on top!!
Oh yum - I'm so looking forward to apple season - not long to go now. A friend of mine has a tree but she hardly uses any of the apples - time for a visit perhaps....I always store mine in the fridge - I am very particular about my apples and I too find they stay nice for longest if stored there.
ReplyDeleteI always store apples in the fridge, if left in the fruit bowl they end up going rotten! Well done that's a lot of apples. Maybe you could make apple sauce to sell?
ReplyDeleteThat is good news. It's great when you find a way of keeping things fresh for longer. I still haven't done anything about getting an apple tree, this post might just spur me on.
ReplyDeleteWell done! Good to hear that the flavour are still way much better than the supermarket ones.
ReplyDeleteWe're very fond of a variety called Courtland here in our neck of the woods. However, I fondly remember the wonderful varieties we got to try when we were in England. Nothing like growing you own and you did very well with your crop!! Excellent tip on storing the fridge, and a root cellar works well also or a version thereof.
ReplyDeleteThat's just what we have been using them for Alison. They're not all cookers but we quite like to use eating apples to cook too.
ReplyDeleteWe have ours in the garage Tanya - not sure why we still call it a garage as it never houses a car! The problem with a chest freezer is things get left at the bottom - I'd never reach in!
What a shame that your friend doesn't use her apples Liz still they'll be more left for you!
Somehow we manage just fine eating them all Amanda.
You must get an apple or two Jo but remember to make sure you have either self fertile or more than one that will pollinate each other!
That goes for a lot of things other than apples too Diana.
Hi Brenda or do you prefer Bren? I'd never heard of a root cellar - have you one? I've not come across Courtland apples either what are they like?
Bob Flowerdew swears by using old freezers for storage like you have. I am still using our 'eaters' not many left now though. Our main tree is James Grieve and they are early croppers which have to be eaten straight away - so the neighbours did very well.
ReplyDeleteThose apples look great! I really should have bought more when they were in season last year.
ReplyDeleteLucky you, I need to get some top fruit trees planted this year.
ReplyDeleteHave you thought about a dehydrator and making your own apple rings?
I wish to have an apple tree in my garden too!
ReplyDeleteI buy apples every other week. One good size apple cost about USD 0.5 here!!
We used a working fridge Elaine. WE used to have a James Grieve when we has cordon apples up a fence at home but as they got out of hand and smothered in woolly aphid we cut to down. A couple of varieties hidden behind our greenhouse regrew unnoticed and now produce loads of apples. James but I remember it had lovely apples - they were huge as well.
ReplyDeleteIt's always the case isn't it Robin - wise after the event.
It's something I've thought about BW but to be honest I don't really like dried apples. Maybe we haven't prepared them correctly for eating.
Will apples grow where you are Malar?
Beautiful harvest! And even better, if you are able to store them for later.
ReplyDeleteWe have been storing them in the fridge and found they keep for a very long time. Except for Golden Delicious, they do not store well at all.
Some of ours we think are golden delicious - VG - not totally sure as we inherited them. We don't tend to pick them a little under ripe though.
ReplyDeleteNow that is a good news post, how fabulous to be still eating lovely home grown apples, I get so tired of the supermarket ones I just give up eating them.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be supermarket fruit in general, Janet - stoned fruit is sold rock hard so must be picked under ripe.
DeleteWith all those apples, maybe you should get a dehydrator and dry them? (Or maybe a juicer...)
ReplyDeleteEgremont Russets are one of my very favourite apples. It's a pity you only get them for a few weeks a year, whilst we import Braeburn and Golden Delicious all year round. Maybe Russets are only grown in England??
We seem to manage to use them without Mark! We do have a juicer which we never use and I'm not a fan of dehydrated fruit really unless they're grapes.
DeleteI do not have an apple tree but fortunately we have many apple orchards in the Hudson Valley and so able to enjoy many varieties of local apples year round.
ReplyDeleteGood to 'meet you' Norma. You are lucky to have fresh apples all year round. I popped and had a look at your blog and was fascinated to know you could eat the seeds of lotus flower. The seed heads are often sold dried here for decoration.
DeleteOoooh yummy! These look gorgeous!
ReplyDelete