You can get some really great deals on regional or local fruit, if you’re willing to buy 20 or 40 pounds at a time. This is what we do, but we have trouble keeping the fruit fresh. I have no extra fridge room, nor a cellar (wouldn’t that be nice), and just keeping the boxes in the house isn’t cool enough. This is easier to solve in the winter, when temps are cool outside. I try to store fruit outside on the back porch and have tried multiple ways: in cardboard boxes and styrofoam coolers. The critters figure this out right quick. Last year, I woke up in the morning to find this:
The culprit was this very satisfied squirrel:
So here’s my new method. I store the fruit in a cooler on the back porch. If I had two coolers, I could store more fruit. I have kept those egg crate type sheets that go in between layers of apples. I use them as I fill the cooler layer by layer with the apples from the box. This can be done with pears, oranges, etc.
How do you store your fruit? Perhaps you are blessed with a cellar or a dark, cool food pantry. If so, I am very happy for you, for that is a blessing!
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Oh, I am all too familiar with the destructive habits of critters! I have to store chicken feed and goat feed where critters can’t get them. I use the old fashioned metal garbage cans. For storing fruit, I would love a root cellar! Which I think is far superior for storing fruit and vegetables than a modern day refridgerator. Maybe someday I’ll have one.
That’s a great idea! It is too hot here to store food in coolers, unless it is packed with ice and that doesn’t work.
I will freeze it or dry it in the dehydrator. Usually we don’t buy that much at a time.
In the winter, I can store apples, potatoes, and onions in the garage on a shelf. I haven’t had any critters yet, thankfully.