Proper Grape Storage
Grapes are a great snack to keep around. They are healthy, tangy, and juicy enough to satisfy your sweet tooth while keeping you fit as a fiddle. However, like all fresh fruits, storage is a bit of a problem with grapes.
Wine
Learning how to keep grapes longer is essential if you want to enjoy a fresh snack minus the yucky taste or moldy patches, so read on to learn a thing or two about storing these grapes:
Choose fresh, firm grapes. The first thing to keep in mind when learning how to keep grapes longer in storage is to choose grapes that are fresh and firm. Their skins must be smooth and intact, the grape bunches tightly packed together, the stems strong and healthy, and the absence of any soft or battered spots in the fruits themselves.
Another thing you should be particularly careful about is hidden molds in the middle of the grape clusters. These molds have the potential to grow into large patches, even in the cold extremes of a refrigerator; resulting in ruined, inedible clusters of grapes.
Make sure to select clusters that are free from molds if you plan to keep them in your fridge.
Avoid washing before storing. Another mistake people make when storing grapes is washing them before storing.
While this may clean them and get rid of dirt on them, the water will have a negative effect on the skins of the grapes; making them mushier and promoting bacterial growth in the process.
This bacterial growth will eventually lead to decay, and that is one thing you do not want to happen when you want to happen. So if you want to learn how to keep grapes longer, leave the washing for when you are just about to serve the grapes.
That will clean them nicely without risking rot or decay in the refrigerator.
Use plastic bags to store grapes in your refrigerator. Another common mistake people make in storing grapes is simply shoving them unprotected into the fridge.
While the frigid air inside will slow down the growth of bacteria and molds, it will also dry up any fresh fruit or vegetables that are left exposed inside it.
If you want to learn how to keep grapes longer in your fridge, you have to keep them inside a zip-lock plastic bag to preserve their freshness and prevent the cold air from drying out the skins. This will help keep them fresh and juicy for up to a week.
One last thing about grapes: they bruise easily. Be very gentle when handling and storing grapes if you do not want them to be all soft and squishy when you pull them out of the refrigerator a few days later.
Also be careful when shoving things inside your fridge, especially when the grapes have been inside for a few days now. The longer the grapes are stored the more sensitive and prone to bruising they are.
Remember to keep all these pointers in mind, and you will be able to learn how to keep grapes longer, fresher, juicier and even a bit crunchier for up to a week at a time.
How to Keep Grapes Longer
Eddy Lee is grape growing and wine making expert. For more great tips on how to keep grapes longer and make wine visit http://www.winemakinganswers.com