Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
konrad___far_north

Build your own CA controlled fridge or freezer for storing fruits

Konrad___far_north
11 years ago

Has anybody ever thought of this,...it's something on my mind for many years now. That something like this is not available for home use. Imagine... keeping your fruits fresh up to a year! How about a fridge under vacuum?

Here is a link that might be useful: Controlled Atmospheric Storage (CA)

Comments (4)

  • applenut_gw
    11 years ago

    You might be disappointed with the quality; despite what the article says the ripeness of the fruit going into it is not optimal and the year in storage doesn't do it any good either. They come out crisp and juicy, but the flavor is poor. They will not equal the taste of your tree-ripened fruit, and having more of a bland thing does not appeal to me or justify the trouble; I can get that at the store.

  • fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
    11 years ago

    Controlled atmosphere storage is no for the home grower. Each variety requires a specific regimen and the fruit needs to be at the perfect maturity. Plus the room needs to be sealed and maintained at just the right temperature and mix of gases. Add to that the mixture of gases is deadly if breathed any time at all. And if the mix is off a bit it's deadly to the fruit.

    A freezer set to maintain low 30s for regular storage is a good idea.

  • glib
    11 years ago

    AFAIK it was Axel in SC who first suggested a freezer with a brewing thermostat set at 38F. I have that set up with Goldrush apples only, and I am very pleased with the results. In fact I still need to take the Goldrush inside the house a week ahead of time, they are not yet as ripe as I like them. It is a good idea to place some cardboard or foam sheet on the active side and bottom, where the cooling elements are, to avoid burn marks on the apples.

    The thermostat cost me $59 plus shipping. You can find a freezer on Craigslist for $100, specially those which can no longer deep freeze (unuseful for its primary purpose, but still able to do what you want), a large one for $50 is not uncommon. My wife was unhappy with the idea of a second freezer (our main one is full of meat), we used a small one (2X2X2) that a friend needed to store. Now she likes what we are getting. For next year, I am going to get me a 7X2X3 for the apples, and use the small one to experiment with root crops. Apples, alas, can not be stored with anything else.

  • Konrad___far_north
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thank you all!
    I'm aware of Axel's set up,..I can't see any of your apples this or that way stored taste better at summer time then CA stored apples.

    I'm aware of that all mentioned, I watched a bunch of videos from Switzerland where a major apple grower with farm store outlet has one of these and can drive in with a tractor, stores all apples,..actually, also storing apples for fresh juice!

    It might not work for me, [winter too cold]. Since we deal with gases, it should be a outdoor fridge/freezer, has to be less of a problem then a HUGE farm fridge.