DIY Stackable Apple Storage Boxes

[Farmer_Gyles]

I'm planning ahead here ....

I want to make my own apple storage boxes - something similar to these:
Personalised Apple Crates - Gift Hamper / Storage Box / Planted Crate
but maybe only half the height and lots of them so I can stack them in the garage

All the new storage boxes / racks I've seen for sale are made from pine / beech - is there any reason why? Is there any reason not to make my own boxes from pallets?

I already peel, slice and freeze as many apples as I can - still have 3 bags in the freezer, but they won't last long - I'm growing a lot more stuff this year so won't have much time for peeling and freezing at harvest time, hence the need for storage boxes ..... and I'll need to get the storage boxes sorted out over the summer ....

[Matt94]

hmmm i wanted to do the same as you last year when we had a huge amount of apples that got wasted, but i didnt have a clue where to start.

[Peas'n'Kews]

hi, can't answer the q about what your apple storage boxes should be made of but I suspect it doesn't matter. We "foraged" some plastic stacking crates from the local market (they had had mushrooms in them) along with lots of the cardboardy things apples and pears get put in to keep them from bruising in their boxes in supermarkets. We've been storing apples in these (one cardboardy thing at the bottom of the plastic crate and then another one on top for frost protection). Works fine!

We also dry apples - we have a "hostess trolley" (remember these from the 70's?) which we set to its lowest setting and place apple rings in it on stackable baking trays. Works a treat!

[perkin]

I bought some old fruit storage trays from a seller on Ebay last year - jet washed them down and now have authentic attractive storage for my apples and winter pears each year. Prices are quite variable, but I got 8 for £35 including delivery. A quick search brings up 20 listings just now.

[The Large One]

another vote for the mushroom trays
greengrocers are crying out to get rid of them as they don't get returned and being plastic need to be responsably re-cycled
i have found 12x9cm pots fit perfectly in them so asked around next thing i'm the proud owner of 63 of them..they stack perfectly and loads of air holes for ventilation

[dod]

Hi Farmer,

I expect that the tendency to make wooden boxes out of pine or beech is largely down to availability and price. Virtually any type of wood should be suitable, although it probably makes sense to use ones that would be OK for food contact (beech and sycamore are both common here for kitchen utensils). Poplar, lime, or willow might work well, as I doubt that the crates need to be all that strong, although Ash woudl be ideal if you want them to be strong. Apple might be nice for storing apples, but could be overkill (there are other uses that apple wood might be better put to).

As far as pallets are concerned I think that the main issue is whether they may have been treated with anything that you wouldn't want on your food, most pallets are made from pretty nasty wood though. Most will have been treated with wood preservatives, and whilst there is one that I am aware of that is OK for foodstuffs you really don't want to be eating most of them. I would be inclined to avoid anything that has been visibly treated, and treat the rest with caution. Most wood preservative do not penetrate all that far into the wood, so planing the upper few mm of the surface away should usually improve the situation.

As long as you are happy that you are not poisoning yourself with anything off old pallets then everything should be fine.

Cheers, Dod

[Bren In Pots]

I asked about produce storage trays at my local greengrocers and they were more than happy to give me the cardboard boxes and inserts that they have their apples delivered in.
Onion nets also come in handy

[Farmer_Gyles]

thanks for the info dod - i'll keep an eye out for some nice planed wood over the summer ....

as for greengrocers, there's no such thing anywhere near me ..... the supermarkets have taken over ....

[FB.]

Some of the ancient varieties were popular in centuries past because they stayed on the tree for weeks after they became ripe, and, when someone could finally be bothered to go and pick them, they'd just lob 'em in a sack like spuds and leave the sack hanging on the tree's branches (natural cold storage!) until they needed to use the fruit throughout the winter and into spring.
Simple. None of this modern special chilled controlled atmosphere storage stuff.

It's a pity that humans have all-but discarded those valuable old types in favour of smooth, shiny, colourful modern varieties which are more suited to high-intensity, ultra-high-yield, commercial orchard techniques.

[Farmer_Gyles]

hanging them from the tree would be handy .... if i had room!

[solway cropper]

thanks for the info dod - i'll keep an eye out for some nice planed wood over the summer ....

as for greengrocers, there's no such thing anywhere near me ..... the supermarkets have taken over ....

Eee, I'm glad I live up north. Our nearest small town has a greengrocers, three butchers, traditional baker and even a fair trade shop. And the best part is they're usually cheaper than the supermarkets for fresh food!

[FB.]

Not all varieties are suitable for storing, but the best (especially some of those ancient ones) can be stored in very basic conditions. I left a load of Tydeman's Late Orange, unprotected, sitting on our garden bench and they were still in perfect condition after the recent -13'C frosts.
Then the blackbirds started on them because everything else was buried by snow, so I had to move the apples.

Good long-keepers will be happy enough in something as simple as a carrier bag. The old long-keepers tend to be resistant to bruising and have good natural resistance to various fruit rots, so you don't lose many in storage, so the old phrase "one bad apple spoils the barrel" isn't so applicable.