How to ripen apricots at home

In shops you can find many types of unripe fruits: apples, bananas, apricots. This allows them to maintain freshness and integrity during transport and to look presentable on the counter. In order for apricots to ripen at home, all conditions should be observed, namely, adhere to the desired temperature regime, humidity indicator, choose the right container, storage location.

Why unripe apricots are removed

Gardeners pick unripe fruits in an effort to extend their shelf life. At home, unripe fruits continue to release ethylene, under the influence of which starch is converted into sugar and the fruit acquires the desired stage of ripeness.

Ripe apricots are delicious and aromatic

Reasons for removing apricots from the tree ahead of time:

• Harvesting early helps to prolong the period for reaching consumer ripeness. Gradual ripening and proper storage will allow you to enjoy excellent taste for as long as possible.
• Hot weather can negatively affect unripe fruits, accelerate ripening and provoke rotting processes.
• Due to bad weather conditions, frequent rains, it is impossible to set an exact date for harvesting ripe fruits and determine whether apricots ripen on the branches, which threatens to get a rotten crop of poor quality.
• When picking green fruits, their strong structure is preserved, they are not damaged during transportation.

Unripe apricots

Features of collecting and preserving unripe fruits

Having made the decision to pick apricots ahead of time, you should take into account several important recommendations for a successful procedure:

• The harvest ripens in June-July, depending on the variety, the earliest varieties are already in early May. When to pick apricots from a tree, you need to determine based on their appearance, which indicates the degree of ripeness.
• The collection should be carried out in dry weather, in the morning after the dew has evaporated. In the daytime, it is better to refuse to eat, the fruit will be poorly stored in the future.
• Gardeners advise to pluck slightly immature yellowish fruits if long-term transportation is planned.
• The collection of fruits can be affected by weather conditions, so delaying the timing is risky. In dry and hot weather, with prolonged prolonged rains, the process of reaching consumer maturity will accelerate, the fruits will begin to wilt and will not last too long on the branch.
• Every summer resident has a question: what to do if an apricot branch with fruits breaks. In this situation, you can collect fruits and send them to ripening.

After harvesting, it is necessary to carefully sort out all the fruits and separate the specimens suitable for storage:

• dry, without signs of decay, with a hard, even skin;
• the same shape, color;
• no symptoms of fungus, parasites;
• no damage, cracks, dents, stains.

Green fruits are not suitable for long-term storage.

If the crop is harvested in large quantities, then you cannot do without a more detailed preparation for storage:

• Wrap each fruit in parchment paper to protect it from pests, fungus and carefully place in layers in a container for storage. You can put apricots in wooden or cardboard boxes, send them to a room with a cool temperature. Thus, the shelf life is increased to 1-2 weeks.
• Put the whole fruits in plastic hermetically sealed containers and send to the refrigerator. The cold will inhibit ripening and allow the fruit to hold for up to 1 month.
• After removing the pits from the fruit, send it to the freezer. The shelf life is increased up to a year. The blank can be used for fillings, compote, sauce.

How to ripen unripe fruits at home

In order for apricots to ripen faster at home, you need to create conditions for this. There are several ways:

• Let the fruits lie on the windowsill, after covering them with paper. At the same time, it is important to protect them from direct sunlight. Otherwise, the apricots will dry out and burn. Apples or bananas placed side by side, which release ethanol, will help the fruit ripen faster.
• Place unripe apricots in one layer in wooden boxes. This will allow you to instantly notice the spoiled fruit and remove them before rotting is transferred to the neighborhood and begins to spread. Cover the box with paper to protect from light.
• Use paper bags as containers, they will help maintain a constant temperature and humidity regime. It is forbidden to use newspapers to store unripe fruits, printing ink contains harmful chemicals that are dangerous to human health.

The fruits will ripen at home in 5-7 days at a temperature of 20-22 degrees. It should be borne in mind that the lack of ventilation will lead to rotting of the crop. Having studied the ways of how to ripen apricots at home, you can prepare fruits for future use and enjoy their taste for a long time.

Storing apricots

What is the optimal temperature for ripening apricots

Within a week, in a room with a temperature of +22 degrees, the fruits will ripen, acquire excellent taste, a pleasant aroma and a bright orange color. Do not overheat apricots, as the moisture will quickly evaporate and the crop will dry out. When frozen, the structure of the pulp is disturbed, due to which the fruit will not be able to ripen and acquire a lethargy, unpleasant taste.

What should be the humidity

Suitable air humidity is 90-95 percent as in basements and cellars. For uniform ripening, this indicator must be controlled and not allowed to decrease. Only dry fruits should be sent to such a room. Even if they did give in to rinsing, it is important to dry them thoroughly. Do not put fruits to ripen in containers with lids, bags, other containers that interfere with the access of oxygen. After 2-3 hours after such clogging, irreversible decay processes will begin, the crop will have to be thrown away.

The nuances of storing unripe apricots

To preserve the crop, it is important to study the recommendations of storage specialists and find out what can be made from unripe apricots.

Dried

To preserve the maximum amount of vitamins and minerals, sort the apricots and send them to dry in the oven or dryer. In the southern regions, you can leave the halves of unripe fruits in the sun for 4-5 days.For storage of dried apricots, you can find the best place both in a city apartment and in a private house. They do not deteriorate for a long time and retain all the useful components, if you choose the right one:

• Ripening place. You can leave dried apricots in the refrigerator, freezer, or placed in a closed cabinet in a well-ventilated area: balcony, pantry, attic. It is not recommended to keep fruits near the sink, stove, microwave.
• Temperature conditions. The room should be no more than + 15-20 degrees, otherwise insects may descend. To prevent mold, it is necessary to adjust the humidity setting. The indicator should not exceed 65%.
• Packing material. Dried apricots should be stored in a separate package, away from other fruits. It is better to keep the product in a glass, hermetically sealed jar, cardboard box or wooden box. Before sending the fruits for storage in the freezer, you should carefully wrap them in foil.

Dried apricots

Frozen

Recently, storage of apricots in the freezer is gaining popularity. It is worth considering that unripe fruits should not be placed in the freezer, since they will not ripen under the influence of low temperatures. Therefore, only ripe apricots should be frozen:

1. Wash the fruits, let them dry, free them from the pits.
2. Chop into small pieces if desired.
3. Place in polyethylene bags or freezer containers.
4. Send to the freezer. Shelf life is not more than 1 year.

Freezing apricots

Cold storage

In the refrigerator at a temperature of about +5 degrees, the fruits are stored for only a month, if the indicator is higher, about a week. Gradually, their taste and appearance begin to deteriorate. For storage, it is better to use a special container for vegetables, while trying to close it tightly.

Common storage errors

Among the most common mistakes when storing an unripe crop are:

• After early harvest, green apricots are obtained, what to do with them further needs to be decided depending on the goals. Many try to get a delicious juicy fruit as quickly as possible, and some try to stretch the pleasure for a long time. But storage of apricots with full nutritional value must be carried out in compliance with all requirements.
• It is important to correctly determine the stage of ripeness of apricots while still on the tree. If you pick an absolutely green fruit, then it will be impossible for it to ripen. Only yellowish, not fully ripe specimens can be sent for storage.
• Fruit must not be washed before ripening. This can provoke the development of fungal colonies on the peel, after which the product is unsuitable for use. If washing cannot be avoided, then before sending the fruits for storage, you need to dry them and wipe them with a dry towel.

You can send not green, but slightly yellowish fruits for storage

Information on how to properly ripen apricots at home will help you get a generous harvest of tasty and high-quality fruits. And if you adhere to the technology of storing fruit, you can provide the whole family with a healthy product for the whole year.