Apples

Information

for freshness and quality store your apples in the fridge in a loosely tied plastic bag as this will help to stop them shrivelling up, bring to room temperature before eating
separate out fruit which is ripening more quickly than the others
if apples have bruised areas, simply cut off, and grate the remaining apple into salads or cut into wedges and give to children as a snack
apples are good when added to pickles and chutneys or eaten with cheese and cold meats
apples can be frozen in slices after they have been quickly cooked in boiling water. Freeze in a single layer, and then pack into bags once frozen. Use frozen apples to make into apple cake or apple sauce
if you've got a lot of cooking apples, cut them into quarters, core and peel them, to prevent apples turning brown while you're peeling them squeeze the juice of half a lemon into a bowl of water and drop the pieces of apple into it. Drain quickly and pack the apples in freezer bags or plastic containers and freeze. Put the frozen fruit in a pan with some sugar, add a very small amount of water and cook as normal
peel and chop the apples and place into a saucepan with a little water, lemon juice and castor sugar. Cook gently for about 15 mins, stirring regularly, then whisk or blend until smooth
when making jam, add one or two apples to the mixture. The pectin in apples helps the jam to set