Apple season is one of our favorite times of the year! It means the days are getting cooler, fall leaves are starting to come on and our taste buds find comfort in warm sweet treats especially when using fruits of the season like apples.
Here are some Apple Tips & Tricks to get the most flavor and shelf life out of season fresh apples:
Secret To Keep Your Slices From Browning: Citric Acid !!
Derived from citrus fruits, this natural chemical when sprinkled on can keep fruits fresher and from browning. Most commonly it’s perfect for keeping apple slices from turning. Just sprinkle 1/4 tsp & 1 tsp of water on a sliced small apple and mix it up well. They maintain their white crisp appearance which is perfect for the kids lunches, keeping ready sliced snacks in the fridge or for that fruit platter your making for the summer BBQs! It’s also PERFECT for your avocados and guacamole, in keeping it from turning brown. I used 1/2 tsp sprinkled on to 1 avocado and then mushed it up- 45 minutes later it still looked deliciously green like it should!
How To Clean Your Store Bought Apples
Store bought apples have a wax coating on them that keeps them ‘fresher’ and ‘protected’ while traveling from the farms to the market. It’s so important not only for health safety but also for best flavor results, to clean this wax off. This handy info graphic shows you the best way how!
How To Keep Your Apples Fresh
Once you get them home, fresh apples love to be kept cool! 30 to 35 degrees with high humidy is their perfect climate (so your bottom crisper drawer in the fridge would be ideal.) Some people even cover them in lightly damp paper towels when putting in the fridge.
If you have larger quantities, look for a cool, dark (or dim) place that’s relatively humid, such as a cellar or garage. It’s best if the temperature stays close to freezing but not below! Wrap each apple — preferably with the stem on — in a piece of newspaper or kraft paper. The paper keeps the apples separate. Place the wrapped apples in a crate or bin, ideally in a single layer.
How To Pick The Best Apples
If you are wanting to pick your own apples here is a few tips before you head out to the orchard!
Apples ripen from the outside of the tree towards the trunk.
Look for apples that are firm with no nicks or bruises.
Ripe apples are crisp and firm to the touch.
When you find an apple you like, lift the apple upwards and give it a little twist to release it from the tree.
Where To Pick Fresh Apples
If you’re a local to St. Charles you can easily run out to Herman’s Farm in Boschert Town, call ahead for hours 636-925-9969 but their farms stand will have bags of delicious ripe apples for sale as well.
St Louis City and East Illinois locals always love heading over to Eckert’s Orchard in Belleville IL, but they also have farms stands all over Missouri & Illinois so check out their website too.
And for you nation-wide Olde Town Spice Shoppe customers, check out this great article from Taste Of Home, that lists their favorite orchard in every state!