Storing apples is neither complicated nor expensive.
All you need to store apples safely is plenty of newspaper and a sizeable basket or, alternatively, an apple storage tray. From then on, a little care is needed to ensure that rotten apples aren’t spoiling good ones.
The first rule is to only pick them when they are ripe which is when they fall off in your hand with a gentle twist.
Wrap each apple loosely in sheets of newspaper but try and avoid using sections that are covered with coloured ink, which can be poisonous.
One of the easiest ways to spoil a batch of apples is to allow them to bruise. Only perfect apples should be stored so give each one a good once-over for cracks, bruises and imperfections before packing.
Place the wrapped apples in a box or a seed tray. Once the boxes are full, keep them in a cool, dark place but don’t let them freeze as they will instantly bruise.
Pantries and garages are the obvious solution (particularly if they have outside walls) however, some warn not to store them with potatoes which release a harmless gas as they age which reacts with the apples.
Long-life apples that will keep beautifully in storage
Ashmeads Kernel, Blenheim Orange, Bramley, Coxs, Howgate Wonder, Kidds Orange Red, Lanes Prince Albert, Pixie, Russets & Winter Gem.
As a rule of thumb, tart and thick-skinned varieties keep for longer than sweet ones. Equally, apples that ripen later in the year will store for longer than the early varieties, such as ‘Discovery’, which should be eaten almost immediately after picking. Some even taste better after a couple of months in storage.
How to make Tarte Tatin and ‘Apple Hat’ pudding this autumn
Simon Hopkinson suggests two sumptuous apple puddings for autumn: tarte tartin and 'apple hat'.
The best apples for picking, eating and storing
Much wisdom on English apples has been lost. Here Kathryn Bradley-Hole takes some advice from an old sage on the
How to grow your own pears (spoiler alert: it’s not easy)
Mark Diacono shares his advice on one of the trickier fruit trees to get right: the pear tree.
Growing your own? The big mistake you have to avoid
An abundance might sound like success for a gardener, but if you're growing crops at home to supply your own
What you need to know about training fruit trees, from fans and spirals to arches, palmettes and beyond
Trained fruit trees are beautiful as well as bounteous. Mark Diacono explains what you need to know if you wish
The ultimate guide to planting your own orchard: ‘Getting it right is easy; sadly, so is getting it wrong’
Mark Diacono has planted dozens of orchards — he shares his wisdom on how to go about it.
