STORING APPLES
Reading edition
Only perfect apples should be stored for later use. Use apples with bruises, skin breaks, or decayed spots as soon as possible.
Brief Storage
Store slightly underripe apples for 2 weeks or less in a cool place, 60° to 70° F., to ripen.
Apples that are ripe enough for eating will keep in your home refrigerator for a week or longer. Place them in the humidifier compartment or in a moisture-resistant container, such as a polyethylene bag. Fruit needs some ventilation, however. The polyethylene bags in which apples are sometimes purchased have small holes. If you prepare your own bags for storing apples, cut a few scattered half-inch holes.
Longer Storage
Most varieties of apples will keep several months if stored at lower temperatures. Freezing will lower the quality of apples.
For directions on long-term storage of apples, see Home and Garden Bulletin 119, “Storing Vegetables and Fruits in Basements, Cellars, Outbuildings, and Pits.” Send your request on a post card to the Office of Information, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Please include your ZIP Code.