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So, I took a look at my apple store over this weekend. It being February, the apples have been in there a number of months.

In previous years I haven't had a massive amount of success storing apples but I've learnt some lessons (secure the store against rodents, don't store windfalls) and I'm getting better results.

This autumn, for the first time, I decided to store apples from different trees in separate trays, instead of mixing them up.

Huge difference in success rates! We have four trees. The trays from three of them (two eaters and a cooker) are pretty clean and the apples have lasted well. The trays from the fourth tree (a cooker) are 100% brown and unusable.

Maybe this was my problem all along in previous years! Mixing them up, I just didn't realise that one variety was rotting out the whole store.

Is it normal for one variety to completely fail to store? Is store-ability widely variable depending on variety?

Tea Drinker
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3 Answers3

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Quite normal. Some varieties store well, some don't. As a rule, the better storing apples are harder than the not so good for storing apples as they come off the tree. If you know the variety (beyond it being a cooker) you might even find that noted as part of its description - in any case, you now know it for yourself.

An alternate storage method might suit the one that does not store as well (I made gallons of dried apples last fall, as well as apple sauce and apple butter.) You can also make sure that any stored whole apples from that tree are the first ones to be used, and to be sure to use them up before February (depending when the last time you checked the store was, you might have some idea how long they did last.)

Edit, Add: If you are not already doing so, you may also benefit from scalding your trays, to greatly reduce mold populations and perhaps also carryover of codling moths.

Ecnerwal
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Yes, how well an apple stores is definitely dependent on the variety. Many nurseries even market some of their trees as "good keepers". And some apples, like Spitzenburg, improve in flavor after they are stored for a few weeks. Others, like Empire, have the best flavor when you eat them straight from the tree.

As a general rule, most apples that ripen early in summer tend not to store well, often lasting just a couple weeks. Apples that ripen late in the fall tend to keep best, and are often fine 3-5 months after picking if stored properly.

michelle
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Ripening fruits produce ethylene, which in turn triggers ripening in not-already-ripening fruits - a feedback mechanism. So it may also be that by separating the fruits into different trays, you are localising this effect, so that the one bad apple doesn't spoil the whole damn bunch, or rather, the one ripening tray doesn't influence the other tray as much.