Saving graces

Want to hang on to those precious harvests? Check your supplies before storing or preserving, as Bob explains

- Bob Flowerdew

AS we move towards winter, it’s time to sort through our harvested crops to ensure these are in a good enough condition to store well. There’s very little point trying to store anything that’s not perfect – the tiniest bruise or rot will spread like wildfire, destroying the first one infected and then spreading to others nearby.

Most critical are apples, pears and quinces. Not only will this rot if damaged, but they will also rot if they were picked too roughly and bruised or, worse if the little stem (pedicel) got detached. It’s far better to turn suspect fruits into juice, jelly, jam or purée, or dry them into rings, than hope they will keep. They will not – well, not for long.