Stored apples

[Odsox]

The thread on stored potatoes promted me to start this thread (as I get told off for digressing and must stick to topic )
I have cracked the way to store apples over winter and that is in an old fridge.
When we replaced our fridge I put the old one in a shed and last autumn filled it with freshly picked apples with the idea that commercial apple store rely on the carbon dioxide that the fruit exudes, which preserves them.
Well, I can confirm that it works as I still have quite a few apples left that were picked in October, still in perfect condition and very nice they are too.
Just cooking apples left now, Bramley and Newton Wonder, but tons more flavour than when they were picked.
The fridge is not powered but is just used as a sealed insulated container to keep the CO2 in.

[pelmetman]

Would never have thought of using a fridge. As it happens we have an old one lying around in an outbuilding that I will definitely try this winter. The only thing is doesn't it go all mouldy with the door closed and power not on?

[Odsox]

doesn't it go all mouldy with the door closed and power not on?

No, they don't appear to.
I didn't wrap them, just piled them on the glass shelves and none of them went mouldy, although the back wall of the fridge looks a bit cruddy and will need a good wash when it's empty.
As they were not wrapped you could tell at a glance if they were starting to go rotten and use them when they were just specks of rot, while there was still a lot of usable fruit.
I will definitely be doing it again next year.

[Millymollymandy]

I can picture hordes of Ishers all running down to the used fridge recycling depot now to take them away! I'll keep that in mind for when my older fridge or freezer go, only they've been going strong for 11 years and 13 years respectively!

[Odsox]

As an update to this thread, we have just used the last 4 apples that were picked last October (more than 6 months later).
The best of it is they are still fresh crisp and juicy, not withery and dry like ordinary stored apples.
I have loads of bloom on all my apple trees at the moment, if (and it's a big IF) that translates to a bumper year for fruit, then I can foresee me pressing another redundant fridge into service as an apple store.

[Millymollymandy]

That's good news! Out of interest what sort of temp is your shed at in winter? I wonder if that would have a bearing?

I do have a spare dishwasher that's been sitting around in our garage (doesn't go below zero) unused for the last 5 years as we bought a house which had one in it already. I could use that! Although I wouldn't get many apples in it but could probably put an apple box on top of the plate storage rack so squeeze about of 3 shelves worth in it. Hmmmmmm.

[Odsox]

Out of interest what sort of temp is your shed at in winter? I wonder if that would have a bearing

It's a job to say, the fridge is just inside the garage by the main doors, and the doors are wide open most days between 8am & 6pm, so widely fluctuating temperatures.
I would have thought that a dishwasher would be perfectly OK as it's the sealed part that does the business, although the insulation on the fridge or freezer probably helps as well.
Stored apples give off carbon dioxide which is what preserves them, so providing the container is sealed it should work.

When I left school I briefly worked on a fruit farm which had 3 huge cold stores for apples and when they were full the air inside was almost pure CO2, so much so that you couldn't spend more than a few minutes inside when the time came to take some out.
When they were due to be totally emptied the doors were opened and huge fans in the ceiling were run for a hour or so to purge the gas, so that you could work inside without suffocating.

[Millymollymandy]

I will give it a go although I'm actually not sure whereabouts in the garage the dishwasher is and even if I am able to open the door of it - my husband has so much 'stuff' shoved in there (all neatly sorted out on shelves and labelled I hasten to add) that I haven't even noticed the d/w - but then usually there's a great big car in there so it is not surprising!

The garage is where we normally store the apples but they do go off and wrinkly fairly quickly, although they've been fine for cooking with until about January/Feb. But still crunchy in May is excellent - you reallly have a knack for all year round fruit and veg, what with your toms and the things in your polytunnel.