If you love apples and want to eat them all year round, you may wonder how to store apples long- term to keep them fresh. Here's a list of excellent storage apples well-suited to long-term storage over the winter months, as well as tips for storing. Enjoy!
Long-term food storage is one of my favorite subjects. It is something I draw great inspiration from my maternal grandparents (and many ancestors) about, as they were avid gardeners and food preservationists in a ripe, fertile valley in the Appalachians. They made the most of everything they grew! Apples are rather fascinating as there are SO many varieties, all beautiful in their own right. They are also surprisingly hardy and well-suited for long-term storage given the right conditions. So, let's dive right into it now, shall we?
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What are storage apples?
Storage apples are simply firm, hardy apples well-suited for long-term storage, especially during the winter months.
How do you store apples long term during the winter?
Have a harvest of apples and wondering how to store them during the winter months? Long-term storage can preserve both nutrients and taste so you don't have to wait for the next growing season to come along. to Storing apples can be a tough task since they have a high oxidation rate, but wholly possible give the right care and attention. You should keep each individual apple covered with a terry cloth, newspaper or old t-shirt to absorb moisture and then store them in a cool, high humidity environment (away from direct sunlight). 32 degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature. Any cooler and they will get freeze damage; any warmer and they will spoil and encourage the ripening process too soon. A cool basement, root cellar or garage usually does the trick. If these are not an option, the next best choice would be the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. It depends on the variety of apple, but some most will keep in the fridge for at least up to one month and sometimes up to one year.
Best Storage Apples
Fuji
Fuji apples are large, round, crisp apples with a rather refreshingly sweet flavor. They are wonderful for cooking, baking and eating. They can last up to one year with proper storage.
Granny Smith
Granny Smith apples are popular bright green apples more commonly known for their use in baked goods. By themselves they are rather tart, but add a little sugar and the flavors balance out nicely. They can last up to a year in storage.
Gala
Gala apples are sweet apples with beautiful red hues. They make a great snacking apple and will keep up to 6 months with proper storage.
Braeburn
Braeburn apples are large, firm apples with both sweet and tart flavor notes. They are pretty popular in the apple world! This variety of apple is excellent for baking with. They can last up to one year with proper storage and are readily found in most conventional grocery stores.
Crispin (Mutsu)
Crispin apples, also known as Mutsu apples in Japan, are a cross of Golden Delicious and Indo apple varieties. They make a great snacking or baking apple. They are bright green, juicy apples that will keep for about 6 months with proper storage.
Red Delicious
While Red Delicious apples are certainly one of the most popular and highly produced cultivars of apples, they are not very flavorful (in my opinion). They are very hardy, red apples (go figure!) with a firm texture and are better suited to be using in baked goods where they can take on little of the sweetness from added ingredients. They will last at least one year in storage.
Goldrush
Goldrush apples (also known as Gold Rush apples) are very sweet apples with pale green-yellow flesh sometimes with blush of red. They make an excellent apple juice! Gold rush apples will keep about 1 year with proper storage.
Rome Beauty
The Rome Beauty apple, also simply known as Rome apple, is a rich red apple great for snacking and cooking with. It will last up to 6 months in storage.
Northern Spy
Northern Spy apples are firm, crisp, tangy apples with primarily green skins with mottled red throughout. They are great apples to bake with, especially desserts. They are an exceptionally hardy apple well-suited for winter storage, lasting at least one year under the right conditions.
Golden Delicious
Golden Delicious apples are large yellowish-green apples that despite their name, are not actually closely related to Red Delicious. They are wonderfully sweet and make a great addition to salads. They will keep about 9 months with proper storage.
Melrose
Melrose apples are large, firm red apples with hints of green. They are both mildly tart and sweet and are excellent in sweet baking recipes. They will keep for about 6 months when properly stored.
Honeycrisp
Honeycrisp apples are beautiful red apples with a blush of yellowish-green here and there. They are wonderfully sweet and crisp and excellent for snacking. They will keep up to 9 months with proper storage.
McIntosh
McIntosh apples are small red and green apples with tart flesh. They are great in baked goods, as well as snacking. They store well for up to 6 months.
Cox's Orange Pippin
Cox's Orange Pippin apples, also simply known as Cox apples, are British medium-sized orange-red apples that are highly juicy and excellent for both snacking and cooking.
Best Apple Storage Products
While you can use simple boxes with newspaper, the following products can come in handy when it comes to ease of storage and organization and are some of my favorites to have on hand.
Apple Recipes
Strawberry Apple Polenta Crisp
veenaazmanov says
Thanks and very informative. Never imagined apples of so may varieties
Mirlene says
Great tip to storing apples. I usually have a big bag and sometimes goes rotten. Never knew how long apples could last for a long time.
Vicky says
This is such a thorough post. I love all varieties of apples but they go bad quicker than I can eat them. These tips will be a big help in enjoying my apples longer.
Casey says
I had NO idea you could store apples this long! Such useful info!!
Tavo says
Very informative post! It came right on time as I have a bunch of apples and didn't know what to do with them. Thank you very much!
Katherine says
We have to huge apple trees, so I'm bookmarking this post for next autumn so I can make the most of them!
Claudia Lamascolo says
Great info my apples in the fridge always get rotten and shrivel going to try this now
Jacqueline Meldrum says
That was an interesting read and I can't believe how long they will last if stored properly!
Dannii says
Lots of great tips here and a good way to make sure that nothing goes to waste.
Helen says
Great post! We have an apple tree in the garden and I always end up cooking and freezing the surplus apples. Great to have some options for long-term storage!
Dannii says
Lots of great tips here for reducing food waste.
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
We had a huge apple tree in France but I didn't have much luck storing the apples. This is such a great guide.
Anjali says
This was such a helpful guide to storing apples! We always go apple picking at our local farm and then have tons of apples I never know what to do with! I'll be following your guide to make sure I can store apples to use for months! 🙂
Ieva says
Awesome post, just what I needed before the next apple season! My father-in-law always gives us buckets and buckets of granny smith and we try to eat as much as we can, then resort to making jams and preserves. Great to know I can store them and enjoy them fresh for longer!