“Our last two Ida Red apples are gone! The last ones were as good as the first. They did not shrivel, have bruises, or bad places. They have kept better than any other kind of apple I have tried, and we really like the flavor.
I am attaching a picture I made today (June 4). I look forward to ordering more in the fall. Thanks so much for making these apples, and other items, available to us.
-Wilda Patterson”
When our neighbor Wilda took this picture of her apples in June – apples she bought from us in November – We had to know how she stored them so nicely.
Her method is very simple, and you can use it for all kinds of other fruits too. All you need is a few grocery bags, paper towels or napkins, and a little extra space in your fridge. If you have a spare refrigerator like Wilda does, that would be even better.
Storing Peaches Using Wilda’s Method
We are going to show you the way Wilda stores her fruit, using peaches as an example. But you can keep pears this way, or apples, or plums, or citrus and probably many other tree fruits too. The plastic grocery bags hold in the humidity and keep the fruit from shriveling, and the paper towels absorb any extra moisture.
Any fruit that you store using this method will last longer than fruit that is simply put in the fridge or crisper drawer.
Tips:
- We like to start with a flat cookie sheet underneath the bags so that it’s easy to transfer everything to the fridge once we’ve filled the bag.
- It’s important that the fruit you use doesn’t have any bruises or blemishes. These little imperfections will start to spoil quickly and can easily ruin the other pieces of fruit in the bag.
- Always start with firm, unripe peaches, plums, and pears. Apples and citrus can be stored ripe.
Method
1. Put about two layers of peaches inside a plastic grocery bag with paper towels on the bottom, the top, and in between the layers.
2.Slide another grocery bag over the open end of the first bag to loosely close the peaches inside, but don’t tie either bag. You want them open enough that air can circulate through the bags, but closed enough that it remains somewhat humid inside.
3.Transfer the whole thing to the fridge. If you started with a cookie sheet underneath, all you’ll need to do is slide the bag of fruit off the cookie sheet and into the fridge.
4.Check on your fruit regularly! Take out any fruit that become soft or bruised, and use them right away.
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