Apples stay fresh longer when kept away from 1 vegetable - and using wrapping hack

By Melanie Kaidan, Lifestyle Reporter

Apples stay fresh longer when kept away from 1 vegetable - and using wrapping hack (Image: Getty)

Apples are a versatile and well-loved fruit, celebrated for their delightful crunch and refreshing sweetness.

However, many people struggle to keep them fresh, often finding their apples turning soft and unappetising within just a few days.

Fortunately, food storage expert Paul Jackson from NRC Business Waste has divulged a clever method to keep apples crisp and delicious for months without needing refrigeration, canning, or dehydration.

To maintain the freshness of your apples, store the ones that are intact and present no damage in a cool, dry location such as a pantry or cellar.

According to Jackson, the apple must be "perfect"—this means no bruises, no cuts, and no insect damage. The stem should also remain intact, as a broken or missing stem can accelerate spoilage.

Apples are a versatile and well-loved fruit (Image: Getty)

Freshly harvested apples from an orchard are ideal, as store-bought varieties may have been treated with chemicals that can influence their ripening.

And one lesser-known fact about this noble fruit is that it’s important to keep them away from potatoes, as these vegetables emit ethylene gas.

Ethylene gas speeds up the ripening process in apples and leads to quicker spoilage, leaving you with unappetising, rotten apples pretty quickly.

A cooler environment helps slow down the natural ripening and ageing of apples, significantly prolonging their shelf life.

For added protection against spoilage, one easy and affordable trick involves wrapping each apple individually in newspaper.

Apples keep fresh and crisp for longer when storing them away from potatoes (Image: Getty)

This simple hack prevents a single rotting apple from impacting the others, as the newspaper absorbs any ethylene gas released by a decaying fruit.

By isolating each apple, you help ensure that the remaining ones stay fresh for a longer period instead of letting the mould spread throughout the bowl or drawer.

The expert highlighted: “Remember, this storage method works best with apples that are freshly picked rather than those that have been stored for some time.

“Store-bought apples may have already been treated with chemicals or exposed to conditions that affect their ripening, so using fresh apples from an orchard or farmer's market will yield the best results.”