Storing Apples

Every fall my wonderful friend Terri lets me come and pick organic Burgundy, Granny Smith, and Empire apples from her trees to distribute to many families, food pantries, and local shelters.  She is such a blessing to so many!  We first store ours in the garage with netting over them to discourage  the furries from taking them: usually chipmunks and the occasional squirrel.  Although this year our dog Jack managed to slip his nose under the netting of one basket that quickly went from convex shape to concave. For about a week his first trip out in the morning became rather desperate.  Ahh, the laxative effects of too much fruit sometimes. Apparently all things in moderation is wise for dogs as well as humans!   The next location when there is a risk of freezing, is to put the remaining apples in a couple metal trash cans that have 1/4-3/8" holes drilled in the sides and top for air circulation. (Drill inside to out so the rough edges are on the outside.  We also put a short (2-3") wood stand drilled with holes in the bottom, but not sure if that is really needed.)  Then they are placed in the basement/root cellar  away from any squash that may be down there in their own fresh food only trash cans; apparently the apples reduce the keeping time of the squash. Last night the last of the Granny Smith were enjoyed as Apple Crisp bake.  Even though they were all a bit soft with some even a bit wrinkly, they baked up as well as the fresh ones.  The Public Market (Farmer's Market) in Downtown Rochester NY is open all year round (since 1905) with (among lots of other things) local apples for sale.  They are not as perfect this time of year as the ones in the stores but are still good for eating and especially baking, at a much better price. With a little searching you may find one in your area that stays open all year round too! 
(My apologies for the delay: making the recipe book available here has taken  longer than I anticipated.   The Comfort Food recipe book will be available on this site in approximately 7-10 days.  If you would like one sooner, it is also available on Amazon.)
Have a joyous and blessed day!