Apple Harvest & Storage: Keeping Fresh, Canning, Drying
Making the Most of Your Apple Harvest
An apple tree in the garden can yield 50–200 kg of fruit depending on variety and year. To keep this abundance from going to waste — and turn it into joy instead — you need good strategies.
Storage – the Simplest Method
Many apples can be stored fresh for months:
Requirements:
- Only store healthy, undamaged fruit
- Cool cellar or unheated room: 2–8 °C is ideal
- High humidity: don't let apples dry out
- Store individually or wrap in newspaper – one rotten apple spoils its neighbors
Storage duration by variety:
| Variety | Storage duration |
|---|---|
| Elstar, Jonagold | until February |
| Boskoop | until March |
| Storage apples (e.g. Braeburn) | until April |
| Early varieties (Klarapfel) | only days – process immediately |
Preserving: Applesauce & Apple Compote
Applesauce (makes about 5 jars of 400 ml):
- 2 kg apples (peeled, cored, diced)
- 4 tbsp sugar (to taste)
- Juice of one lemon
- 100 ml water
- Optional: cinnamon, vanilla
Cook everything until soft (20–25 min.), purée, fill into hot jars, seal immediately, then process in a water bath: 30 min. at 90 °C. Shelf life: 1–2 years. Hot-filled without the water bath, the sauce keeps for a few weeks in the fridge.
Drying: Apple Rings
The nicest way to preserve apples:
- Wash apples, peel (optional), remove the core
- Cut into rings about 5 mm thick
- Briefly dip in lemon water (prevents browning)
- Dry in a dehydrator at 55–60 °C for about 8–12 hours
- Done when leathery and chewy, no longer sticky
Shelf life: 1 year in airtight jars.
More Ideas for Using Your Apples
- Apple juice & cider – press and pasteurize, or ferment into hard cider/apple wine
- Apple chutney – perfect with cheese and game dishes
- Apple jelly – made from apple peels and cores (rich in pectin)
- Freeze apple cake – bake it, then freeze in portions
- Dried apple chips with cinnamon & sugar – a popular kids' snack