Every fall I used to buy a big bag of apples, and every fall half of them turned mealy by week two. Then my uncle, who keeps apples in his basement until March, showed me how he does it. The rules are simple, and they work.

Apples store well because they breathe slowly at the right temperature. The enemies are warmth, moisture loss, and other fruit.

Keep Them Cold, Around 32 Degrees

Apples last longest near freezing, just above it. A refrigerator is perfect if you have room. If you are storing a bushel, a cool garage or basement corner works, as long as it stays above freezing.

Warm apples ripen fast. Every week at room temperature ages them like a month in the fridge.

Only Store the Perfect Ones

This is the rule my uncle hammered into me: one bruised apple can ruin the whole box. A damaged apple releases ethylene gas and rots, and the rot spreads to its neighbors.

Sort through the bag first. Eat the bruised or soft ones now, bake them, or make applesauce. Only the firm, unblemished apples go into storage.

Keep Them Away From Other Produce

Apples give off ethylene, the same gas that ripens bananas and avocados. Do not store apples next to potatoes, onions, or citrus. Potatoes will sprout, onions will rot, and everything will taste faintly of apple.

Keep apples in a ventilated container, a basket with holes or a cardboard box with air gaps. And check them once a week, removing any that have started to soften.