How Do You Know If Apricots Are Ripe Or Not?
The very basic approach to finding out if an apricot is ripe or not is from its pleasant sweet aroma. Also, a mature apricot responds slightly to gentle tugging. So you can easily figure out if an apricot is ripe or not.
If the apricot is still solid and hard, it means it has not ripened yet. On the contrary, if it squishes easily and is too soft, it means the apricot is overripe. These can be the basic criteria to decide whether an apricot is ripe, unripe, or overripe.
How To Ripen Apricots Fast?
Apricots can be ripened in multiple methods. I have listed the best possible methods to ripen apricots faster at home. Check out all of them in detail in the following section.
Tip: Never put apricots in plastic bags for ripening. If you do, the apricots will be ruined before they are even ripe because moisture will be trapped inside the bag. This may also lead to mold development in the fruit.
Paper Bags
Paper bags are simply one of the best ways to ripen your apricots at home. And not only apricots, this is an ideal method to ripen any fruit faster. Apricots and every other fruit contain a gas called ethylene, and they release this gas while gradually ripening.
However, if you loosely wrap your apricots in a paper bag, the gas is trapped inside and eventually hastens the ripening process of the fruit. While following this way, ensure your bag is dry enough, otherwise, the fruit will spoil. Also, could you keep it away from direct sunlight?
Put Apricots In Rice
Uncooked rice is exceptionally good at capturing ethylene gas. So, now you can figure out how putting your apricots in rice will speed up the ripening. All your apricots need is a deep dive into the rice. Ensure that they are totally covered with rice.
Submerging apricots into rice will be beneficial to ripen the fruit faster, instead of letting it stay at the counter. If you are wondering which type of rice to use- you can use any variety of them. The fruit will ripen equally well in all the rice types.
Using A Linen Cloth
This ripening technique uses a soft, fresh linen cloth to ripen the apricots. How? Spread the cloth on a surface, and place the apricots with the stem side down. Make sure the fruits do not touch each other. Use another piece of cloth to cover the apricots.
Keep them covered until they turn soft. The cloth will also trap the ethylene gas released from the fruit and help boost the ripening process. Also, make sure you keep them undisturbed until the apricots are ripe.
How To Store Apricots?
Apricots can be stored at room temperature for some time if unripe. Just ensure they are out of direct sunlight until they are ripe. However, you can store them at room temperature for a maximum of 3-5 days. Post that you need to refrigerate them.
Here are some apricot storage tips for the refrigerator:
- Wash your apricots thoroughly before storing them in the refrigerator. Additionally, make sure they are dried sufficiently before storage otherwise, they will develop mold growth.
- Store your produce or store-bought apricots far from strong odors, as they might acquire the smell. To avoid this you can also store them in ziplock bags to keep the apricots covered.
- Refrigerate the apricots only when they are completely ripe. This is due to the fact that underripe apricots do not develop their flavor in the refrigerator.
These were some storage tips to store your apricots in the refrigerator. So, the next time you have ripen your apricots at home, you know what to do! Furthermore, if you want to preserve your apricots for longer, you can also freeze them.
How Long Can You Store Apricots?
Apricots can be refrigerated for about a week. Storing the apricots this way substantially extends their shelf life. Also, for a better shelf-life, make sure the fruit is well-ventilated and it can breathe. This will evaporate any presence of moisture that might spoil the apricots.
Furthermore, keep ripe apricots away from produce that releases ethylene. That is all, if you follow these simple techniques, your apricots will keep fresh in the refrigerator. However, if you freeze them, the fruit will keep longer.
Summing it up, that was all about ripening and storing apricots at home. Now you know the best ways to ripe your apricots, right? So, the next time you are in doubt, just follow the steps that I mentioned, and you are good to go!
