It’s important to eat lots of fruit and vegetables to stay healthy, and one fruit that many Brits love is apples, and there’s a simple way to help them last longer. While they’re sweet and delicious, the food can also turn bad pretty quickly if not stored correctly, but there’s a simple way you could maximise their shelf life for months.
Michael Griffiths, a gardening guru, previously shared a simple food storage hack to help people make the most of their apples. It’s something worth remembering during the colder months, as he claims the trick could actually help you to keep the fruit fresh until spring.
He shared a simple video on TikTok to explain what people should do. There are also other tips you can use to ensure the fruit stays in good shape.
Micahel said: “Here’s how you store apples over winter. If you’re lucky enough to have a good crop of late apples, which are picked from November onwards, you can store these over winter, and here’s how.
“There are two methods to doing this, and both will allow you to store your apples until spring. We want to slow the apple from drying out, so we want somewhere that’s cold but not frosty, somewhere that’s dark and reasonably moist, so a shed, a cellar or a cold garage like this will be perfect.”
He added: “Before you store the apples, make sure they’re not blemished, and there’s no insect damage. Method one is to wrap them in newspaper.
“The benefit of this is that the apples can be touching each other because they’re covered in newspaper; however, they’re not going to get any airflow around them when it’s hard to check the apples periodically. To do this, wrap them in one sheet and gently place on a tray or a rack.
“For method two, you need to have access to a rack of some kind. This method allows air to move around the apple, and keep it fresh.
“The benefit of this method is that you can easily see the apples. The downside is that you need more space. The critical thing with this method is that the apples must not touch.”
Hundreds of people viewed the video after it was shared, and were quick to thank Michael for the tip. With apple season drawing to a close, it’s a super handy piece of advice to know.
How does newspaper keep apples fresh?
Little you may know, wrapping apples individually in newspaper can help them keep fresh for longer. This is because the method prevents them from touching.
The trick works best when apples are also stored in a cool, dry place away from other produce. However, you need to check them regularly to ensure there aren’t any signs of spoilage.
Only store apples that don’t contain bruises, cuts or insect damage. The stem should also be intact, and ensure they are dry before storing them.
Apples release a gas called ethylene, which can cause ripening to speed up. Wrapping them individually helps to contain this gas, and keeps each apple from spoiling others.
If stored correctly, apples are able to stay fresh for months. For more information, food experts will be able to help advise you further.