best way to store cooking apples

Do you have any neighbours that would be glad of any?

You could make them into Apple Butter - just do a google search and you will find lots of recipes. This American site has a nice easy recipe http://elise.com/recipes/archives/000119apple_butter.php

Or Apple Chutney http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/apple_chutney/

We have the same problem, Woolley, and we store them in the cool end of our boiler house, in the dark, on shelves, not touching and, even though the varieties we have are all different, as long as they are not marked or have insect infestation, they do all go soft by around January or February, but are still usable in cooking.

Nariz ' you can stop them going soft in the first months of the year , by doing as you said ,but not on shelves , put them on a concreat floor were frost can not get them ,and I wonder about the boiler house ,the coldest months must have the boiler working it's hardest, there by uping the tem

You'd be surprised Cliffo! We've kept apples and potatoes through the winter, and onions almost through to the next harvest. The boiler only fires up briefly three times a day for hot water and we only use the central heating when our tongues stick to the windows on the inside. :o) Then we put another jumper on and rely on our log fire for heat in the living area and an electric 'blower' in the bathroom. Strange ..... we don't have many visitors during the winter months .....????????

you are a person after my own hart, I will bet that you have a good circulation , I sea fish all year so I need a good cirulation, but I know what you mean about visiters in the winter there are only a few hardy soles fishing with me, but I do not understand the apples going soft when they do, it never happend to us, unless it is that the concreat was less prone to temp change. try a few on the floor see what happens, and please let us know. I have been known to be wrong,

Different variety of apple Cliffo?

O well on with the book then!

OK Cliffo, I'll give it a try and we'll meet up again in January or February. See ya. :o)