The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-07-26
HOW TO KEEP APPLES.
Ripeness and Care in Packing Essen
tial Also AS Cold Cellar.


The best way to keep apples is not to-
use them Some one has liberated the
foregoing facetious remark as a short, eff
fective method for making the apple sup
ply last. However, it is not satisfactory;
the apples are likely to decay. 1t is some
thing of problem for the majority OF
holseholeers to keep winter apples The
average consumer III the city pays no more
attention to keeping his apple supply than
he does potatoes, although as a matter OF
fact, apples when properly cared for are
much better late in the season ii attention
is given.
As every one knows who has tried it,
even sound winter apples if left IN a
warm room or in cellar near furnace
soon lose flavor and decay. The result
is that many householders lay in no apple
supply but depend on buying in small lots
from the store, paying, OF course, the
long price. AS a rule, too, apples obtained
from stores in midwinter are inferior Or
dinarily apples can be readily obtained in
lots of few bushels from growers early
in the season at a price much under what
they are retailed at later on.
| Here is the recipe, and while there are
many others, this ranks as one of the best
and simplest. Get good, sound apples.
That is the first necessity. No apple Will
keep long that has begun to show signs
of decay Get apples that have not
ripened beyond the normal point for the
eeason, for as a matter of fact, as any
storage man will explain, once an apple
| begins to ripen, chemical processes are set
up that cannot be readily checked.
| Handle the apples carefully. Some
people handle apples as they would pota-
toes and then wonder the fruit does not
| keep: handle apples as you would eggs
and be particular that there is no bruising.
| Provide barrels in which to put the
| apples, or boxes will do. Now lay a
rather thick course of paper, newspapers
arc excellent, in the bottom of the
barrel or box letting the papers extend
up the side Put in a course of apples,
one tier deep, and no deeper Arrange
hround carefully Do not drop them into
| the barrel, put them in carefully; an
apple bruised is an apple ready to rot
Put a course of papers over tins tier
of apples precisely as was put over the
bottom of the barrel although it need not
be so thick Three or four thicknesseS
are sufficient Let the paper extend NJ
| the side of the barrel as described II
starting the bottom. Put on another
tier of apples. repeating paper course
and apple tiers until the barrel or box, as
the case may be, is within two inches o.
the ton. Then mat down mass of pa
pers tightly over the top. Lay the barre
head on to hold them firm or any weight
that viii cover the top. 1t IS a good plar
to throw piece of burlap or bagging ovel
the ton as the final touch. That com
pletes the process of picking.
The next important thing is tempera
tune. About every house nowadays ha
a fruit cellar 1t makes a good place L
store the packed apples Never put then
in the part of the cellar heated by TIN
furnace The fruit viii ripcn prema
turely, rot and there will be only tn
trouble for the pains.
1t is apparent from the description 0
the method that the object is first t
! pack the apples away from the air. Tn
closer they are kept from the air tn
better and then to keep them cool. |
the fruit cellar can be kept down to ,
' Fahrenheit through the winter the apple
viii remain firm, crisp, retain their fiavo
= and there will be very little rot Regu
i late the temperature by opening o
closing the outside window, keeping then
from freezing by a narrow margin
When the warm days of early sprin
come be careful to keep the window en-
r tirelv closed and hold the cold of white
j. which has pentrated the cellar walls an
; the floor as long as possible. In usin
{ tonly open one tier at a time Away
= keep the papers packed tightly over tn
top tier and the barrel covered Apple