storage for apples and squash...

[bornthrifty]

it has been warm and my apples were going over ripe to soon in the house so I put them on the porch, and now I have squash, a nice amount and it is finally getting cooler out,

will apples and squash be ok on covered porch of house when temps hit frost?

how about freezing?

in the past I have stored them inside but this dumb house isn't very drafty, so I don't have a very cool spot, only the garage which smells like gasoling...oh maybe one of the kids closets is cooler but not freezing...

any thoughts for a person who doesn't want to can everything or freeze everything in the freezer? thanks

 

[k15n1]

Squash should be kept cool and dry. And by cool, I mean 60 oF. Don't put them in a damp root cellar if you want them to last.

Apples should also be kept cool but should not be allowed to freeze. Apples do not have the tough protective skin that most squash have so you have to keep them from drying out. A friend of mine stores his super alpha prime apples in a bag at the bottom of the refrigerator.

I personally find that storing apples is a pain. You need perfect fruit and there's risk that it'll go bad despite your efforts. I'd rather just make a more easily preserved apple product and be done with it.

 

[bornthrifty]

ok thankyou!!!

so it's really worth it to process those apples...maybe I can find some room in the fridge too

and maybe I can move the squash into my childs closet where it is coolest in the house

the squash are soo goood and keep so well just in the house, but thought I could get past Christmas with some if I found the right spot...thanks!

 

[moolie]

I live in a semi-arid climate so have never had problems with squash, I just leave them on the floor next to an outside wall in my dining room.

Apples are another story, as they dry out and get wrinkly skin if we try to keep them too long, so we can't buy more than a half-bushel box or two when they are on sale. We keep them layered between unprinted newsprint paper (you can get end rolls from your local newspaper for a few dollars) in the box with a cardboard cover in the coldest room in our basement and keep an eye on them.

 

[KellyK]

I know my husband bought a few bushels that he has in the basement. He also stored the extra potatoes, carrots and such down there. The squash I cut up and froze for soups and stews. Other squash was canned. I think I may have some in the basement also, but not 100 % sure of that.

 

[Daffodils At The Sea]

The tricky thing about apples is that they put of ethylene gas which speeds up the ripening (and rotting) of themselves and other fruits/vegs nearby. It really helps to store them somewhere else where it doesn't freeze, and in a single layer, if possible.

I store all of the vegetables that need to stay dry in cardboard boxes cut down to 4" or 5" or cardboard lids lined with newspaper or paper bags in a single layer, not touching. The shallow boxes can be cross-hatched and stacked.

Also, if freezing is a problem, storing vegetables buried in river sand (not beach sand that has salt in it) will keep them for a very long time. A structure like an indoor sandbox will hold enough sand to bury them and contain quite a few vegetables.

http://www.gardenista.com/posts/winter-root-vegetable-storage

 

[~gd]

Squash should be kept cool and dry. And by cool, I mean 60 oF. Don't put them in a damp root cellar if you want them to last.

Apples should also be kept cool but should not be allowed to freeze. Apples do not have the tough protective skin that most squash have so you have to keep them from drying out. A friend of mine stores his super alpha prime apples in a bag at the bottom of the refrigerator.

I personally find that storing apples is a pain. You need perfect fruit and there's risk that it'll go bad despite your efforts. I'd rather just make a more easily preserved apple product and be done with it.

APPLES have been 'improved' over the years. Keeping ability was an important selection feature befpre they learned nrw methods of storage. I could rant about this for hours but the facts are that there are better keepers that don't have the appearance of supermarket apples. most are sold to processers they need keepers and appearance is not important. unless you live where apples are processed your only thing to do is to grow your own fromold stock.
the same with squash. there are huge fruits with thick rines that we used to put away for animal feed [they love them in the winter when there is no graze] left overs were tilled under in the spring,Heck they cooked and tasted good but most famlies were getting smaller and the butternut cooked faster.
You do know the difference between summer and winter squash? ~gd