Such a tasty and healthy seasonal fruit as apricots, bought at the market or brought from the dacha, you want to preserve for as long as possible in fresh. The question immediately arises: how and where to store apricots so that they do not spoil and ripen (if there are green fruits)?
How to store apricots so that they ripen?
When you have stocked up on ripe or not yet very ripe fruits for future use, it’s time to think about where to store apricots so that they ripen and do not have time to spoil? Optimal temperature conditions for storing these fruits is 15-20 degrees. It is worth taking a paper bag, putting unripe apricots inside and leaving it for just a couple of days. At this temperature, they will quickly become juicy, aromatic and will not lose moisture. The bag should not be exposed to direct sunlight, and it is important not to close it tightly. Without a refrigerator, ripe apricots can be stored for up to 4 days, and even for a week inside it. Before sending fruits to a fruit container, you need to make sure they are ripe, as they will not be able to ripen at low temperatures.
How to store apricots so they don't spoil
When the problem with unripe fruits has been solved, you need to think about how to store the fruits so that they do not spoil. Everything is very simple, you need to place them in a cool room with low air humidity. Typically, the basements of a house have these characteristics.
Apricots are stored in wooden boxes, each wrapped in parchment paper. It is important that the fruits do not touch each other. If you have a container with separate cells, you can do without paper. Before storage, it is necessary to sort out the apricots, and if there are small flaws, remove them from the total mass. Slightly unripe fruits will last a little longer, but this depends on the variety. At correct location Apricots can retain their freshness for up to a month, without losing their juiciness and taste.
How to store dried apricots at home
One way to save beneficial properties apricot, is to prepare drying from it. First you need to wash the fruit and remove the pit. Then you can place the fruits in an electric dryer or the old way - under gauze in direct sunlight until completely dry. The drying needs to be stirred periodically so that it dries evenly.
The finished drying must be immediately removed to a dark, dry place. It is better to store this in bags made of natural fabrics or glass containers. It is important to avoid contact with insects and moth larvae, otherwise all your work will go down the drain and the drying will be ruined.
Dried apricots can be stored in the refrigerator, as a result they do not lose their beneficial properties. For proper storage drying must be placed in sealed bags and left on the shelf of the refrigerator door. But she can stay in this state for no more than a month.
How to store apricots in the freezer
The third way to store apricots is to freeze them. At the same time, the fruits do not lose their beneficial properties and aroma. Before freezing, the fruits are separated, pitted and wrapped in small bags or containers. In this mode they can be stored for more than six months. After defrosting, apricots will become softer, but you should not re-freeze them at all, as they will lose all their beneficial properties and take the form of a puree.
Many people love apricots for their unique taste. However, in order to be able to enjoy them for some time after picking, you need to know how to preserve apricots at home. In this article we will tell you how to properly store unripe and ripe apricots.
How to store unripe apricots? If you picked unripe apricots, don't worry, you can try to bring them to ripeness. What needs to be done with them to make them ripen? The main thing is to choose the right room where unripe fruits will be stored. The room should be warm and well lit. It is also worth considering that the fruit will need good air ventilation so that the process goes faster. How are unripe fruits stored?
In paper bags
It is usually recommended to place the harvested crops in small wooden boxes, however there is another option. If there are no boxes, by analogy you can place the fruits in small paper bags, where they ripen well. As already mentioned, these fruits ripen (if picked before ripening) in a warm, lit and ventilated room, but not directly sun rays should be avoided. They can be stored in this form for about 5 days, after which they should finally ripen.
You can also simply lay them out on paper on the windowsill, and they will ripen in a few days.
It is worth noting that although this method is quite common, and many people harvest apricots a little earlier, and then these fruits ripen in boxes or bags, it is still recommended to let the fruits ripen on the tree. There is a possibility that even in ideal conditions they will not ripen and will remain green or yellow. So do not rush to pick them from the tree as soon as they appear - let them reach a state of full removable maturity.
Methods for storing ripe apricots
But we pick ripe apricots without delay. They can be eaten fresh and stored in various ways so that you can enjoy them later in the winter. How can ripe apricots be stored?
In wooden boxes
Before putting the fruits in boxes for storage, it is worth wrapping each of them with parchment paper. It is important that the housewife (or owner) does (or did) everything correctly: if you simply put them in a bunch in boxes, it will be impossible to regularly inspect them for damage. Also, these rules can significantly increase the shelf life of fruits. If you don't have parchment paper, use any thin paper. It is strictly forbidden to use polyethylene, which is harmful to fruits.
In the refrigerator or in the cellar
Apricots can only be stored in the refrigerator for a week and should be stored in airtight containers. It is not recommended to store fruits in the refrigerator without packaging (simply putting them in a bowl, for example) - in this case, the shelf life is reduced to 1-2 days. In principle, if you lower the temperature to zero degrees, then this fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for a month. However, the sooner you use it, the better. Still, these fruits are not stored for too long even in ideal conditions.
In the cellar at a temperature of about 5 °C, the fruits are stored for about a month. What needs to be done for this? First, sort through the crop and select only those fruits that are not damaged. Even slightly beaten fruit is best consumed immediately - it will not be stored for long.
The fruits are wrapped in paper or simply placed in boxes with separate cells, and everything is done so that they do not come into contact with each other. In this form they should be placed in the cellar. And remember: you need to check them regularly. If you do not use them on time, they will become loose and dry, and will lose almost all of their taste qualities.
Freezing
A very popular method, but here it is worth taking into account the characteristics of the variety, since not all varieties are suitable for freezing. You can freeze fruit whole or in slices. First of all, wash the fruits, cut them and remove the seeds if necessary.
Next, you should lay them out on a flat surface and place them in the freezer for a couple of hours. After this, they are taken out and packaged in bags (and this must be done in such a way that you can consume the fruits in one bag at a time). And already in this form they are placed in the freezer. This way they can be stored for up to a year.
Drying
Also very effective way storage, especially if you like dried fruits. Wash the apricots and remove the pit (optional). After this, you should carefully lay them out on any flat surface in the shade in a draft, and leave them for a couple of days. It is important that they do not touch.
After they have been in the shade for a couple of days, you need to take them out into the sun and leave them for about a week. As soon as they wilt a little, put them indoors at night. To make it easier, string them on a thread and store them in partial shade for several weeks. After that, they are packaged in bags and left in the refrigerator - this way they are stored for up to six months.
Video “How to make dried apricots yourself”
From this video you will learn how to make dried apricots from your own apricots.
Dried fruits are quite popular products that are not only tasty, but also very healthy. These include dried apricots. It can be dried (most often sold in stores) or completely dried (usually prepared at home). Even if the apricot is very dry, there is enough water left in it to unfavorable conditions storage it deteriorated. It is important to know how to properly store dried apricots at home so that they remain tasty and healthy for a long time.
At room temperature
In our apartments there is no best conditions for storing dried apricots. However, if you put the product in the pantry or a dark drawer in the kitchen, you can extend its shelf life. It is important that the dried apricots are kept in a sealed plastic or glass container in a place near which there are no heating devices. You can also use bags made of natural fabrics. The only disadvantage of such storage is that in them the dried apricots dry out even more and appear on it. white coating, and over time bugs may appear.
It is not advisable to keep dried apricots at room temperature for a long time, as mold may appear on them. To prevent it from spreading throughout the product, regularly check the dried apricots and get rid of spoiled dried fruits.
In the refrigerator
In the refrigerator, dried apricots should be stored in plastic or glass containers. Check the container for condensation at least once a week. Also inspect the fruits and remove spoiled ones. Dried apricots can be stored in the refrigerator for 3–4 months.
In the freezer
If you freeze dried apricots correctly, they can last up to one and a half years. Remember that although this method extends the shelf life of the product, it contributes to the loss of its beneficial properties. To freeze dried apricots, prepare bags or containers with an airtight lid. Place dried fruits tightly there and place in the freezer. Allow the product to thaw at room temperature before use.
Basic rules
To prevent dried apricots from spoiling at room temperature, use only airtight containers. Also, if you placed dried fruits in the refrigerator, there should be no access to oxygen. Dried apricots can absorb foreign odors, which will then negatively affect its taste. Before filling containers for further storage of dried fruits, thoroughly inspect the dehydrated fruits for the presence of bugs and larvae. If you find at least a few pests, it is better to throw away the entire stock at once.
Dried apricots can last for a long time if stored correctly at home. Even after two years it may be usable. The main thing is that before eating dried fruits, soak them in cold water, then pour boiling water over it. This will soften the dried apricots and remove any accumulated dust.
Apricots have a unique taste. But in order to enjoy such fruits after picking, you need to know how to store apricots. Below we will describe what methods of storing such a crop at home exist, and how they are correctly implemented.
Many novice gardeners are often interested in whether apricots ripen after harvest. These are fruits that can be picked from trees while unripe. The unripe fruit will lie for some time and become ripe. However, for this, the unripe crop should be sent for storage. It is worth noting that only if the storage has been organized correctly can unripe fruits be brought to the desired condition.
Today, there are several ways to preserve these fruits, in which they can ripen - in paper bags or boxes. At the same time, the gardener must know how apricots should ripen.
In paper bags
Where to store apricots at home that are not ripe? We found that regular paper bags are suitable for this. This method is used much more often than boxes. At the same time, you need to know how to store apricots so that they ripen.
For maturity to occur, they must be kept in a paper bag in a warm, ventilated and lighted area. Direct sunlight should be avoided.
Each fruit is wrapped in paper or placed in a pre-prepared bag. The crop should remain in this form for about 5 days. During this time, unripe fruits will become ripe. You can simply lay them out on the windowsill on paper. In this case, they will be ready in a couple of days.
Now it’s clear how to ripen apricots at home. All that remains is to figure out how to keep apricots fresh at home. Despite the possibility of ripening apricots at home, it is best to pick them from the tree when they are already ripe, as they may not ripen.
Methods for storing ripe apricots
To store the harvest at home for as long as possible, its harvesting must be done correctly. Each fruit must be carefully picked from the tree, avoiding damage to the skin.
If the skin has been damaged, the fresh appearance of the fruit will not last longer than a few days. This is due to the fact that damage to the peel allows pathogenic microflora to penetrate the pulp, provoking processes of rotting and decomposition in it.
Such specimens very quickly begin to deteriorate, thereby infecting normal crops. As a result, you may lose half of the harvest sent for storage.
Today you can store apricots at home:
- in boxes;
- in the cellar/refrigerator;
- frozen in the freezer;
- in dried form.
Let's take a closer look at storage methods at home.
In wooden boxes
Before being placed in wooden boxes, each copy is wrapped in parchment paper. In addition to parchment paper, you can use any thin paper. It is forbidden to wrap in polyethylene.
After laying the crop, it should be periodically inspected in order to identify fruits that have begun to deteriorate at an early stage. Therefore, you should not put them in one pile, as this will complicate their verification.
In the refrigerator or in the cellar
Apricots can be kept fresh in the refrigerator for one week. Before storing, fruits must be placed in a food container, which is hermetically sealed with a lid. It is not recommended to send them for storage without such packaging. If you simply put them in a bowl, the shelf life will be only 1-2 days.
In a situation where the temperature in the refrigerator is at 0 °C, the shelf life increases to 30 days. But even in this case, it is not recommended to delay consumption, since they will still lose their taste by the end of the period.
In the cellar, if the air temperature is approximately +5 °C, the crop can be stored fresh for 1 month. Only those fruits whose skins were not damaged during the assembly process are placed in the cellar.
Here, too, fruits need to be wrapped in paper and placed in boxes. Each copy is placed in a separate cell. If there are no such cells, you should make them yourself. It is necessary to avoid contact of the skins with each other. After planting, periodic inspection of the crop must be carried out. Otherwise, it may dry out or become damaged.
Frozen
You can freeze apricots in the refrigerator, or rather the freezer. This is a very popular storage method. But here it is necessary to take into account varietal characteristics. This is due to the fact that the harvest of some species is unsuitable for freezing.
You can freeze both whole fruits and their slices. Before freezing, do the following:
- wash the crop;
- cut and remove seeds from them;
- then we lay them out on a flat surface and put them in the freezer.
When the fruits are frozen, they are bagged and placed back in the freezer. If frozen, they will keep for a year.
Dried
Not all varieties of crops are suitable for drying. To get dried fruits, you need to wash the fruits well and remove the seeds from them. Next, lay them out on any flat surface and leave them in a draft (necessarily in the shade) for several days. They should not touch each other. Then they are taken out into the sun and left for 7 days. After drying, the product is packaged in bags and stored in this form for 6 months in the refrigerator.
Video “Freezing apricots for the winter”
From this video you will learn how to properly freeze apricots for the winter.