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wareagle69
03-12-2009, 08:35 PM
one thing i noticed the other day i found interesting, i bought two bushels of apples for the horses and kept both in the plastic bag in the basement, one on top of the dresser and the other in the cupboard the ones out in the open went bad fast while the others are still doing great, makes ya wonder

Ken
03-12-2009, 08:37 PM
one thing i noticed the other day i found interesting, i bought two bushels of apples for the horses and kept both in the plastic bag in the basement, one on top of the dresser and the other in the cupboard the ones out in the open went bad fast while the others are still doing great, makes ya wonder

Do you have a mold or moisture problem in the basement that may not be obvious?

crashdive123
03-12-2009, 08:45 PM
one thing i noticed the other day i found interesting, i bought two bushels of apples for the horses and kept both in the plastic bag in the basement, one on top of the dresser and the other in the cupboard the ones out in the open went bad fast while the others are still doing great, makes ya wonder

The most likely cause is that you had at least one riper apple in the bag that "went bad fast" As fruit ripens it gives off ethelyne (which is also used to artificially ripen fruit. So - if there was some fruit in a closed container (plastic bag) giving off ethylene at a higher rate than the other bag it would cause the fruit to ripen faster.

RunsWithDeer
03-13-2009, 09:24 AM
All it takes one bad apple to rot and the whole bag will be lost. Check you stored fruits regularly.

Chris
03-14-2009, 01:05 PM
This is the source of the phrase "one bad apple spoils the bunch"

The colonials used to load up barrels of apples and sink them in lakes for storage until spring. If one bad apple was in a barrel it would give off the ethelyne gas and start a chain reaction where all others would go bad.

Thats why, in general, you need ventilation to store fruit, so that any gas that builds up disperses. A plastic bag is fine if all the apples inside are fine, but if not....

This is also why many fruits/berries that come packaged, come with holes in the package. There are always holes or perferations, to let the gas escape.

wareagle69
03-28-2009, 07:38 AM
ok two more bushel of apples in today, pulled out of bag put into crate found one bad apple in the bag so this should hopefully extend my storage, if the apple guy can do it, it has to be possible so here we go again

tennecedar
03-28-2009, 08:38 AM
For storing apples long term I always wrap each one in newspaper and put in milk crates. The crates are stored in a cellar. I've kept apples all winter like that.

wareagle69
03-28-2009, 08:44 AM
i pulled these ones out of the bags this time and put into wooden crates and in the dark and cool, they did ok last time in the plastic when i pulled out the bad apple so just experimenting, hope this fall to go directly to the orchard and pick myself, save some coin, at least until my apple trees mature, but by then i should have storage down pat

crashdive123
03-28-2009, 08:46 AM
WE - Trapping Girl (where has she been) talked about how she stored apples http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3564&highlight=apple+storage

Rick
03-28-2009, 08:46 AM
Tennededar - What are the conditions of the apples after a winter? Are they shriveled or soft? Just curious. I've never seen apples that were stored all winter. (Ooops. My modern ways are showing).

tennecedar
03-28-2009, 09:17 AM
Eaten raw they tend to have a starting to ferment flavor. The inside is a little softer but they peel and cook up great. I like the fried pies made from them better than from fresh apples. I also store potatoes, turnips, cabbage, etc all winter

Rick
03-28-2009, 10:29 AM
Thanks. I know how they get when they sit out for a while. I sort of imagined that's what they'd be like over winter. They would go through the same decay process but much slower. At least that's what I was thinking.

Thanks again.

hoosierarcher
03-28-2009, 12:30 PM
Back in my youth, in the mists of distant memory, I remember helping wrap apples from the orchard in dried corn husks and then layering them between layers of hay in crates and then putting them in the root cellar.
Of coarse we also had to core and pare a lot more apples to make apple sauce and apple butter. You haven't had apple butter until you've had it made in a large copper cauldren over coals making a low heat of 250 degrees or less and stirred with a wooden paddle and cooked down for over 12 hours.

crashdive123
03-28-2009, 12:53 PM
Here's a bit of info on apple storage. http://postharvest.tfrec.wsu.edu/topical.php?variety=storage&keywrds=apple&token=Apple%20Storage

wareagle69
05-31-2009, 10:06 AM
just an update, being spring it is cooler in my basement than it is outside, so in the wooded crates i have individually wrapped each apple in newspaper and this has worked out great even if some had stated to rot when i was seperating them they have not contaminated then rest, good stuff folks thanks, save me a bit of cash by being able to buy in bulk and store longer, my horses are happy