Our Friend, the Apple

Ever wonder why you put fruit in a paper bag to help it ripen faster?

I can explain the science behind it, if you're interested.

It starts like this: you know how we exhale a gas called carbon dioxide? And this gas helps plants and such to grow. Well, fruit "exhales" a gas, too, called ethylene gas. The ethylene gas it produces makes the cells in the fruit to break down -- or ripen -- yum!

Now, if you want the fruit to ripen faster than just in its natural timeline, you can put it in a loosely closed paper bag. This helps trap some of the gas in the bag so it makes the fruit ripen faster. Why a paper bag? Because it's still breathable, so it won't trap too much moisture, leading to mold...gross. Why loosely closed? Same answer as before, so that you don't trap too much of the gas and make your good fruit go bad.

I'm not just telling you this to make you smarter. This is knowledge you can use to your advantage.

Apples give off A LOT of ethylene gas. Therefore, if you want your fruit to ripen faster, put an apple in the bag with the pear, peach, melon, or whatever. It will quicken the ripening time.

But think about it; I'm telling you all this because I want you to think about your fruit basket, fridge drawer, or however else you store your fresh fruit. Are your apples mixed up with everything else?

If they are, they are ripening and OVERripening everything near them. Consider having a separate bowl just for your apples so they can keep their gas to themselves, and you can enjoy all your other fruits for longer.

Fresh thoughts, brought to you by Kerri. Now raise your hand if you learned something today.