I find it fantastic that traditional methods that our ancestors used to preserve and store many foods are still recommended today. My father is 80 this year and he would put my memory skills to shame. He loves reminiscing over his childhood and telling tales about a somewhat simpler and slower paced life. This lifestyle seemed to be enjoyed by many country people years ago, when life revolved around producing, cooking and preserving their food. One memory he has from autumn, as a child, is that of his mother checking apples and wrapping the unblemished ones in paper. As our grandmothers would have to rely on seasonal produce such methods of preservation were essential for the creative cook. These apples would then come in very useful when one wanted to bake an apple tart in January.
If you have the space a couple of Bramley apple trees are very useful in the back-garden. My own trees are
only producing a small crop as they are just 2 years old but year on year this will improve.
- Check each apple for blemishes and bruises.
- Don't wrap these as they will rot the rest of the good apples.
- Wrap each one individually in a square of newspaper.
- Store in a single layer in cool, dark and humid conditions.
- They must not touch each other.
- Check the apples regularly and remove any that are beginning to rot.
Using this method you could have apples until springtime.
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| Apples ready to be shelved upstairs |
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