Apples are the sweetest when they are ripe. Read the ways on how to ripen apples faster than usual. Read our guide below!
There are a lot of factors that affect the sweetness of an apple. Mostly, it is heavily dependent on the type and the conditions in which the apple trees are grown.
This is exactly the same reason why apple growers would wait for the perfect timing to harvest apples to ensure only the sweetest ones are picked.
Unlike bananas and papayas, apples are best left ripened while they are still on the tree. But since it takes time and not all of us are really good at waiting, we will discuss the effective ways to speed up the ripening process of apples while retaining the fruit’s natural sweet taste.
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How To Ripen Apples Faster?
Ethylene. This is the answer.
Fruit farmers must have heard of this term, but for common folks like us, probably not.
Ethylene is a hormone in a gas form that most fruits produce during the ripening stage. This is the one responsible for the changing of color as well as the one that determines the sweetness of the fruits.
If a fruit ripens too fast, the tendency is that it gives off a lot more ethylene than it should, and the lack of this hormone means the fruits are stuck to their unripe state.
Can Ethylene Be Artificially Added?
Yes.
If you are wondering, how to ripen apples indoors, then this is the answer.
Naturally, a fruit reaches its ripening stage while still attached to its branch, but in some cases in which delivery and mode of transport take a while, a lot of farmers opt to harvest unripe fruits to avoid rotting along the way.
This is usually the case for bananas in which ethylene production shoots up once the ripening stage kicks off.
So, how to ripen apples off the tree?
Once the fruits reach the shops, they will undergo an artificial ripening process in which they are exposed to this fruit ripening hormone. This has a subtle sweet and musky scent and triggers fruits to be softer and sweeter.
This hormone is usually available in a powder form and is packed in boxes or small packets. The maximum shelf life is around 12 months or a year.
Follow the steps below to ripen apples faster:
- Prepare a sealed and airtight container.
- Get your unripe apples and place them inside.
- Make sure to just put enough in one container and leave enough space for the gas hormone to circulate.
- Add the ethylene powder in packets and place them inside. Some would open the packets itself to speed up the process, but you’re better off having the ethylene in packets as you do not want the powder to stick to the apple skin.
- Wait for 2-3 days and constantly check the apples if they are already ripened.
How To Ripen Apples If Ethylene Powder Is Not Available?
In some cases in which apples are picked too early, you need to find ways to get it ripened.
If you have no access to ethylene powder, then don’t lose just yet because you can still ripen your apples by following the steps below:
- Get an airtight container and place your unripe apples inside.
- Pick a ripen banana and put it inside the sealed container as well. The ripe banana will be a good source of ethylene. This is also the best choice since once ripened, bananas produce tons of ethylene gas. This will then trigger the apples and starts the ripening process.
- It would take around 2-3 days for slightly ripen apples to be completely ripened and around 7 to 10 days for unripe ones.
- It is also best to take out the banana when one or two apples have started to ripen as you do not want to cause rotting if too much ethylene is present in the container.
- Store it at room temperature and avoid storing in the fridge as the low temperature can reduce the production of ethylene.
- Don’t forget to constantly check to prevent overripe apples.
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