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  • From: haighal@aol.com
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [NAFEX] storing apples
  • Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2007 18:30:47 -0400

Alan Haigh, The Home Orchard Co. Southeastern NY

    How well particular apples store and how best to store them is complicated but later ripening apples have an obvious advantage.  As far as the storage virtues of Honeycrisp I am skeptical not based on just my experience but what I've read in the fruit growing trades.  I believe that If Honeycrisp apples don't get lots of calcium while they're growing and if they size up too much for various reasons they won't hold up well.  Also, they're pretty early ripening here
     You can't make reliable judgements on any of the virtues of a particular variety based on a single experience. For me varieties vary in how they hold up from year to year.  If the weather is fairly cool from mid Sept to the first week of Nov. even Jonagold goes from being a fair storer to a very good one.
     Refrigerators work well, especially if you can find a really old one without defrost.  Apples are still alive and they do respire.  However, in a self-defrosting fridge a plastic bag with small holes in it will help reduce shriveling.  Some apples store best at around freezing but others break down if the temperature drops below 40 or so.  None I know last long when it gets much above 50 F.
      Alternatively I hear that you can bury a covered metal trash can in the ground and cover it with mulch for storage.
     Generally, it's best to pick storage apples a bit green as they will further ripen in storage.  Exactly how green will vary and some varieties like Fuji and Goldrush usually hold up well for me even when I pick them dead ripe (though I don't store many Fujis- too sweet for my taste these days).  Those two are the best storage apples I know of though Goldrush tends to shrivel.
      Usually the russetts are good for storing as well and I wouldn't want to spend a winter without some Golden and Roxbury Russetts. I need some Braeburns and Baldwins also.  My Ashmead Kernel and Hudson's Golden Gem are still too young to bare enough to keep but I hear they store well also.  Can't wait  
 

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  • [NAFEX] storing apples, haighal, 10/21/2007

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