Good afternoon, my reader. For some gardeners, a bountiful harvest of apples and pears becomes a headache. Fruits sometimes simply have nowhere to put. But they can be stored for a long time, up to spring, if you follow certain recommendations.
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For example, choose the right varieties. For storage, as a rule, winter ones are taken. Their fruits differ from summer ones, among other things, in the thickness of the skin. In winter varieties, it is rougher, more oily. They are already prepared by nature itself for the harsh conditions of autumn, which means that they will be stored better.
The same goes for pears. In addition, the fruits of its summer varieties do not last long at all and begin to deteriorate within 3-5 days after harvest.
Duration of storage for apples and pears
It depends on a number of factors:
- varieties;
- weather conditions during the season;
- place and method of storage of fruits.
It is also determined by when they were collected. For winter varieties, the traditional harvest month is September, when the fruits reach ripeness. Only those that have been removed from the branches will lie well. They are still a little hard, but they are already acquiring the color characteristic of this or that variety. They are removed together with the stalk. In any case, fruits that have fallen from a tree are not suitable for storage, since they, as a rule, have damage that contributes to their rapid deterioration. Also, frozen apples and pears are not stored. It is better to recycle them right away.
It is recommended to harvest apples and pears in dry weather, without dew. After removal, they are sorted; undamaged medium-sized fruits are selected for storage.
Conditions for competent storage
Optimally, it should be a dark place with temperatures ranging from 0 and not higher than +4 ℃ and humidity in the region of 85-90%. The room must be periodically ventilated and disinfected immediately before laying.
Cellars or cellars are most often used for storing fruits. To do this, racks are built in them with the installation of the lower shelf at a distance of 15-20 cm from the floor. Apples and pears are placed on them in containers or without them. In the first case, these are boxes with ventilation holes, boxes, baskets. Their bottom is covered with paper. The fruits are laid in them in several layers so that they do not touch, with the stem up or to the side. There is also paper lined between the layers. It will not be superfluous to put in the boxes the leaves of herbs, the smell of which scares away rodents (lemon balm, mint, thyme).
The boxes themselves are displayed on the racks in such a way that on the lower shelves, where the temperature is lower, pears and apples will be stored longer, and on the upper ones those that are to be consumed first turn.
If the container is not used, the fruits are stacked in heaps on hay or dry leaves.
What to do in an urban setting
You can store these fruits in an apartment, although it is more difficult to provide the necessary conditions in it. A glazed balcony or loggia is best suited for this purpose. Apples or pears are stacked in wooden boxes or boxes: their bottom is covered with paper, and the fruits are stacked so that they do not come into contact with each other.
If you have to save a small amount of fruit, you can wrap each fruit in paper (this will prevent rotten fruits from infecting healthy ones) and place them all in a basket.
Suitable for storing a small amount of apples or pears and a regular refrigerator. True, the time of keeping them in it will be insignificant. The fruits can be simply folded into a special fruit box or pre-distributed in plastic bags with holes made in them.
Do you know how to keep the harvest of apples and pears until spring?
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