Apples: how to pick and store

No, you can, of course, go to the store in winter and buy apples. But they are often tasteless, besides it is not known what they are stuffed with. Yes, and they are not cheap. Another thing is fruits from your dacha! Delicious, fragrant, natural. The point is small – to save them correctly.

Harvesting apples

In order for the fruits to be stored for a long time, 2 conditions must be met:

• a month before harvesting, it is useful to treat the trees with Skor – this will reduce the likelihood of damage to apples by barn scab.
• before harvesting, the garden is not watered for a couple of weeks – it has been noticed that fruits harvested after a drought are better stored.

Deadlines

Here, it would seem, everything is simple: I tasted it, and it is immediately clear whether they are ripe or not. With summer apples, this method works. But autumn and winter varieties have their own tricks.

Determining when a crop is ready for harvest is very simple. Take an apple and lightly press on the skin with your finger. If after a while the dent has disappeared, it is still too early to harvest the fruits for storage. Remained? It’s about time!

Rules

Harvesting on time is only a third of success. It is also important to pluck the fruits according to all the rules. There are 5 things to consider:

• it is best to pick apples in the morning, immediately after the dew has disappeared (1) it is still not hot, and if you don’t have time, you can finish the work in the evening (but by no means during the day!), And you can’t leave baskets and buckets with the harvest on the street, on in the sun, – they must be immediately taken to a cool place, preferably directly to the basement, and sorted and put into containers there;
• it is necessary to remove the fruits with gloves so as not to accidentally scratch them with your nails;
• you need to pick them along with the stalks – without them, apples are stored much less;
• it is better to start harvesting from the lower branches, and then gradually move to the upper ones, so as not to injure the fruit again;
• in no case should you wipe the plaque from the fruits – this is their main protection during storage!

Before storing fruits for storage, they must be sorted into small, medium and large. Each faction must be added separately.

If the apples were picked during the rain, they must be dried in a draft or with a fan.

apple storage

In order for apples to lie for a long time, it is important to provide them with optimal temperature and humidity. And also choose the right storage method.

Terms

Optimal storage conditions for apples:

• temperature – 1 – 2 °С (2);
• humidity – 80 – 90% (3).

Before lowering the apples into the cellar, it must be disinfected. The easiest and most reliable way is to treat the walls and ceiling with slaked lime, to which you need to add (for 2 kg of lime) 3 tbsp. spoons of ferrous sulfate (or 1/2 cup of copper) and 1/2 cup of salt (it improves adhesion).

Methods

There are many ways, but we will note 5 of them – simple, reliable and unusual.

In the boxes. They should be wooden, with a capacity of 20 – 25 kg with small gaps (literally 5 mm) between the boards. In such boxes, their own microclimate is formed and the fruits feel very comfortable.

Before use, fry the boxes for 2 – 3 hours in the sun – ultraviolet will kill all microbes.

Lay the apples in boxes in 2 layers with the stalks down, so that the tail of the top fruit is between the bottom ones.

To extend the shelf life of apples, it is useful to fill the boxes with sawdust of deciduous trees or straw (4), buckwheat husks or sifted peat chips. You can line the bottom of the container and shift the layers of apples with oak leaves, maple leaves, bracken, lemon balm branches or sphagnum moss.

In sand. This method is similar to the previous one, but there is a fundamental difference. Apples are also placed in boxes, but without gaps. A layer of sand 3–5 cm thick is poured at the bottom (it must be dry), fruits are placed on it so that they do not touch each other. Then this layer is covered with sand, and on top of it – another row of apples and sand again.

These boxes should be stored in the cellar.

In packages. This is perhaps the easiest way.

Place the apples in tight plastic bags of 1,5 – 2 kg and leave open for 2 – 3 days so that the fruits thaw. Then squeeze the packages tightly, trying to remove all the air as much as possible, tie tightly with a nylon thread (it does not rot) and put it in the cellar on the racks so that the packages do not touch each other.

As a result of the breathing of the fruits, after 20-30 days, a special gaseous environment is formed in the bags, which protects against spoilage.

The method is suitable for almost any variety. But not for Antonovka! It deteriorates faster in polyethylene than with other methods.

In the vermicelli. This method was developed by scientists. Its essence is as follows: vermiculite (it is sold in garden stores) is impregnated with a solution of acetic acid at a concentration of 1,5 – 2,3% (to get it, it is enough to dilute 6% acid by 3 – 4 times).

Apples are placed in boxes and covered with impregnated vermiculite (for 100 kg of fruit, only 2-3 kg is enough). During storage, acetic acid gradually evaporates from the granules and disinfects the environment, preventing the reproduction of pathogenic microflora.

In the garden. A great option for those who do not have a cellar.

In the garden, somewhere in a secluded corner, dig a hole 40 – 50 cm deep and put pine or spruce branches on the bottom (this is from mice). Put the apples in plastic bags, tie them up and lower them to the bottom. Top and sides also overlay spruce branches. And then fill it with earth.

Place a stick over the pit so that in winter you can find an impromptu cellar along it.

With this method, apples often remain fresh until spring.

According to the method of the Valaam monks. On the legendary archipelago in Lake Ladoga, the hermits managed to keep the harvest of apples right up to the summer! They used the following method: they dipped selected apples without signs of disease and damage into melted wax, then dried them and put them in barrels. And the barrels were lowered into the lake. With this method of storage, apples remained fresh for a very long time, as if plucked from a branch.

This method can be used now if there is a reservoir nearby. Or lower the barrel into a well of water. But it is important to remember: apples need to be dipped in wax – paraffin is not suitable for these purposes.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about storing apples with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova – asked her the most pressing questions.

Sources of

1. Kamshilov A. and a group of authors. Gardener’s Handbook // M .: State Publishing House of Agricultural Literature, 1955 – 606 p.
2. Egorov V.I., Nazaryan E.A. Handbook of gardening // M.: Profizdat Publishing House, 1957 – 264 p.
3. Emelyanov F.A., Kruglova A.P., Kulikov V.A., Sazhin N.S., Gryazev N.D., Kinkovskaya N.I., Berkut O.D., Molchanov A.I., Khramov P .BUT. Fruit and berry garden and vineyard // Saratov, Saratov book publishing house, 1955 – 472 p.
4. Lavrik P.I., Rybitsky N.A., Gavrilov I.S. Gardener’s desk book // L.: Lenizdat, 1972 – 568 p.