Most apple varieties keep best at a temperature of 30° to 32° F and a relative humidity of 85 to 88 percent. However, McIntosh, Yellow Newton, and Rhode Island Greening apples do best at 35° to 38°. This prevents internal browning and brown core.
Pears can be stored ideally at 30° to 31° F. The highest freezing point for pears is about 29°. Since pears are likely to shrivel, keep the humidity at 90 percent. Most pears won’t ripen satisfactorily for eating at the above temperatures. They should be taken out of storage and ripened between 65° and 70°. This is ideal for Bartletts.
Bartlett pears ripen faster than apples. If you store pears too long they will not ripen properly. Don’t store Bartletts after 3 months or Anjou longer than 6 months.
Maintaining desired temperatures for home storage of apples and pears may be difficult. If you must settle for 40° F or even higher, you won’t get the good results you would if you refrigerate at the optimum temperatures. Sometimes cold storage facilities are available where you may store your fruit for a set price per container.
Don’t mix windfalls (fruits that have dropped to the ground) with fruit you pick from the tree. Windfalls are overripe and give off ethylene gas which speeds ripening of picked fruit.
Desirable temperatures may be possible in refrigerator hydrator drawers for small quantities.
An extra refrigerator can be used to store fruit, but do not take the shelves out. When it is empty, for safety reasons take off the doors.
Home Storage Chart
| Storage conditions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where to store | Temperature (F) | Humidity | Storage period | ||
| Vegetables: | |||||
| Beans and peas, dried | Any cool, dry place | 32-40 | Dry | Many Years | |
| Beets | Storage cellar or pit | 32-40 | Moist | Fall-winter | |
| Cabbage | Storage cellar or pit | 32-35 | Moist | Fall-winter | |
| Carrots | Storage cellar or pit | 32-40 | Moist | Fall-winter | |
| Celery | Roots in soil in storage cellar | 32-40 | Moist | Fall-winter | |
| Onions | Any cool, dry place | As near 32 as possible | Dry | Fall-winter | |
| Parsnips | Leave in ground or put in storage cellar | 32-40 | Moist | Fall-winter | |
| Potatoes | Storage cellar or pit | 45-48 | Moist | Fall-winter | |
| Pumpkin, winter squash | Unheated room or basement | 55-60 | Dry | Fall-winter | |
| Rutabagas | Storage cellar or pit | 32-40 | Moist | Fall-winter | |
| Sweet Potatoes | Unheated room or basement | 55-60 | Dry | Fall-winter | |
| Tomatoes (green or white) | Unheated room or basement | 55-60 | Dry | 1-6 weeks | |
| Turnips | Storage cellar or pit | 32-40 | Moist | Fall-winter | |
| Fruits: | |||||
| Most apples | Fruit storage cellar | 30-32 | Moist | Fall-winter | |
| McIntosh, Yellow Newton & Rhode Island Greening | Fruit storage cellar | 35-38 | Moist | Fall-winter | |
| Grapes | Fruit storage cellar | 31-32 | Moist | 4-6 weeks | |
| Pears | Fruit storage cellar | 30-31 | Moist | Fall-winter | |
| Peaches | Fruit storage cellar | 32 | Moist | 2 weeks | |
| Apricots | Fruit storage cellar | 32 | Moist | 2 weeks | |