Its that time of year for picking fruit such as pears Apples and plums etc.. Here are some tips to storing them for the coming year to gain the most out of those fruits of the Land. Five steps to storing fruit 1. Find containers such as crates, slatted shelves, polystyrene or papier-mâché trays or shallow wooden boxes. The ideal container will allow good air movement through the sides and over the top. Special wooden storage racks with draws are available 2. Select blemish-free, medium-sized fruits, ideally with their stalk intact. Those picked just under-ripe usually store best 3. Lay fruits in a single layer not touching each other. Place fruit stalk uppermost, if possible, or on its side. If necessary, apples can be stacked on top of each other but using a container with open-slatted sides will allow air flow. Handle fruit very carefully to prevent bruising 4. Try to keep different cultivars separate as they ripen at different rates. Ideally, keep mid-season cultivars away from late-season ones so that they do not speed up ripening. Label the boxes 5. Keep fruit away from strong scents that may taint them such as paint, fertilisers and onions. Quince have a very pungent smell and are best kept away from other fruit Check stored fruit regularly: Pears can ripen and pass their best quickly so need daily checking. In warm storage conditions they will soften slightly when ripe but, in cooler storage, ripeness will be indicated by a subtle change in colour and they’ll then need to be brought into the house for a day or two to soften before eating When one tray of fruit is reaching optimum ripeness, remove it from storage promptly as the gasses released may speed up the ripening of the remaining fruit in store Discard any fruit that show signs of rot to prevent disease spreading
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 14:28:11 +0000
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