Apple harvest

These apples are delicious, not golden but after gathering a bagful I walked back from the fields munching. Normally this tree is in the middle of the donkey field and to be honest trying to harvest surrounded by four donkeys who love apples is not easy. This year the donkeys are in a neighbours well secured field over the road so I was able to scrump with out disturbance. I know  scrumping is taking some one else's apples but in the donkeys eyes I have been scrumping.
Do not worry donkey lovers I had one bag for them with blemishes and another for us. Now I need to research storing apples.

• For every 10 degrees above 30°F, the apples' lifespan decreases dramatically.

• You do not want the apples' temperature to fall below 30°F, however, because that will make them freeze and turn to mush when they're thawed. Their cell walls will all collapse.

• Therefore, apples are best stored somewhere around 30-35°F, in a humid environment.

• If storing apples in the fridge, place them inside a crisper drawer and lay a slightly dampened paper towel on top of the apples.

A little more research also taught us that apples are one of the few fruits that really do benefit from being stored in the fridge as quickly as possible. Keep them in the crisper drawer with aforementioned damp paper towel, or else keep them in perforated plastic bags in a cold shed or cellar.

We also discovered the truth of that old adage: "One bad apple rots the whole bunch." Apples give off a lot of ethylene gas, and so just one bruised and rotting apple will give off enough to swiftly ripen (and rot) the others. If you have anybruises or soft spots on an apple, set it aside for eating. Don't store with the other apples.

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