How can you keep star fruit fresh for a long time?

Popularity rises for the exotic star fruit, often known as carambola or the star apple. When sliced down the centre, this fruit has a five-pointed star shape, thus its name.

There are two varieties of star fruit, one sour and one sweet. The ribs of tart types tend to be more closely spaced than those of sweet kinds. It’s difficult to tell which of the two of them prefers what. During the months of July through February, the fruit is widely accessible.

Given their rarity, it’s understandable that you’d be curious about how to store star fruits. However, don’t be alarmed; it turns out that keeping these fruits isn’t difficult at all, but you will need to take some care. The topic of how to store star fruit and determine whether it is completely ripe will be discussed in this article.

How to store star fruit

Stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator, ripe star fruit can last up to one week. A lot will rely on how ripe the fruits are for the specific date. Generally, underripe star-fruits may be kept at room temperature for approximately two weeks and in refrigerated storage for about four weeks, respectively.

Fully ripe star fruits, on the other hand, turn to mush rapidly and should only be kept in the refrigerator for a maximum of one week. You don’t need to do anything unusual to keep star fruits fresh. Underripe fruit may be stored at room temperature in any house, from the kitchen counter to the storage room. It’s a lot more difficult to get star fruit to ripen.

Is it underripe if you got it from the supermarket? It’s almost certainly so. To ripen, store star fruits at room temperature or on the counter, much like bananas and avocados.

The number of star fruits you have has a lot to do with how you keep them. For example, it may range from a few hundred star fruits purchased to many kilos harvested by a home grower in a single go. So we’ll be looking at the solution from both angles.

Tips on how to store star fruits

On your kitchen counter, you may keep some of the star fruits you got from the market. Allow them to ripen naturally if they aren’t ripe. You should rotate the fruits once every 12 hours during this period so that one side is not exposed to the hard surface for a lengthy period. The fruits will mature for 3-4 days, so you may eat them as soon as they’re ready or as soon as you need them. In this case you don’t worry about how to store star fruit.

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In any case, once the star fruits have reached their ripeness, they must be consumed right away due to their fragility and inability to be preserved. For a week at least, you may store them in your refrigerator. Do not wash them altogether; just put them in a plastic bag and put them in the crisper drawer.

Putting food in the fridge that has been washed may lead to spoilage, even if it is kept in a cool, dry place. Washing should only be done when necessary.

The best way to store a lot of star fruit

As a home gardener, you may expect a yield of 8 to 15 kg from each of your star fruit trees if you have a few. As a result, your storage requirements vary from those of a person who buys a few dozen of these fruits at the market.

It is time to expand your fruit storage space. We’ll get to it later. Before harvesting, let’s get down to business and find out everything you need to know.

Star fruits may be harvested from mid-summer until the end of October. When the fruits are mature, they need to be harvested. Once mature, the star fruit has waxy skin and becomes yellow.

When the fruit gets close to the ground, it may easily fall off the tree with a simple pull. Leaving ripe fruits on the tree will result in their falling to the ground, where they will be damaged.

Ripe star fruits must be consumed right away since they can’t be kept for more than a few days. As a precautionary measure, fruits must be selected at the appropriate time. Monitor your garden or farmland.

In other words, after mid-summer, you should keep a close eye on the fruits, and when you believe they’re mature enough to be harvested, you may store them in your house.

Large quantities of underripe star fruit must be stored in a dark but well-ventilated location. Even a bed of garden leaves will suffice as a base for the fruits.

It’s okay if the fruit sits there for two weeks if you need to. Check the fruits daily to remove overripe and ripe fruits and rotate the remainder.

Whether you want to sell your fruits at a market or send them to stores, be sure that each one is carefully wrapped to prevent squishing. Premature ripeness means that the crops must be sold before being entirely ready for harvesting.

How to extend the life of star fruit

Additionally, star fruits may be stored for long lengths of time than the two to four weeks that are often recommended for storage. Star-shaped slices should be sliced horizontally from these fruits to preserve them. Before slicing, trim the browning edges.

This time, the slices should be arranged on a baking sheet and frozen in a single layer. The slices should be stored in an airtight container and returned to the freezer as soon as they’ve frozen. Frozen star fruit may be kept for up to three months in this manner

To preserve star fruits, you’ll need to use a slightly different method. After completing the steps as mentioned above, cut your star fruit into slices in the form of the letter “S.” To mix these slices, remove the seeds.

Slices of star fruit should be pureed and frozen in ice cube trays. To avoid freezer taste, store these ice trays in an airtight container.

Pop the puree out of the ice cube trays when completely frozen. When you’re done with the star fruit cubes, please put them in the right containers and put the freezer door back on.

With the container now stored in the freezer, you may easily get the star fruit anytime you need it. Remember that thawed star fruit, like bananas, can turn brown very fast after being exposed to air. Blend it into smoothies.

Concluding remarks

Even if star fruits are hard to come by, you can’t keep them for long periods. You may store them in the freezer for up to three months.

If you don’t eat your star fruit right away, the taste will quickly diminish. Since they are seasonal fruits, it may be preferable not to attempt to keep them for an extended period. This is all about how to store star fruit for a long time.