What is the best way to store apples over winter?

As we become more accomplished at growing our own, we need to hone the skill of dealing with gluts, whether that be bucket-loads of courgettes, wheelbarrows of runner beans or armfuls of apples. Storing apples into the winter is perfectly possible by following a few, simple guidelines.

All apples can be stored, but I have found that those which ripen early in the season (say mid-August to the end of

September) don’t store as well or for as long as some of the later performing varieties. Early apples should be eaten within a couple of weeks, before they start to deteriorate.

A cool garage or shed that does not get direct sunlight is a good place to store apples as we’re looking for a cool space that holds a degree of humidity. If your stored apples start to dry out, then try covering them loosely with a sheet of clear plastic to hold some of that moisture around the fruit.

When it comes to selecting which apples to store, choose unblemished fruit as any rot or damage will spread like wildfire – I check my apples once a week and remove any damaged i

fruit, adding it to the compost heap.

Apple racks are available online from retailers such as Primrose (primrose. co.uk) but I have found that shallow cardboard boxes from supermarkets work well. Line the base of the box with newspaper and place the fruit on the paper with an air gap between each apple (touching fruit will rot). Make sure that the fruit is dry when going into storage as a little humidity is useful but too much will lead to rot.

I would expect varieties such as Bramley and Newton Wonder to store into January if well maintained. You can also stew apples then freeze them for around six months: simply add a tablespoon of water and 50g of caster

sugar to five peeled, chopped and cored apples and cook until soft, allow to cool and then place in a suitable container for freezing.

In the past, my stewed fruit has taken on a baby food-like texture, so last year, I added lemon juice to sliced apple, froze the slices individually on a tray, placed the frozen slices into a bag, then put them back in the freezer. This technique worked really well and gave our apple crumbles a bit more texture than stewed fruit.