If you ever go overboard at a pick-your-own orchard and find yourself with more apples than you know what to do with, know that these hardy fruits can last for months when stored in the fridge properly. Here's how to keep your apples as fresh and crisp as the day you reached up and plucked them off the tree.

Keep apples away from other fruits and veggies, since ethylene gas given off by other produce can make apples ripen too fast, and make sure to remove any “bad apples” from the mix to keep the others from rotting prematurely. For best results, store your apples in the crisper drawer of your fridge, where they’ll last for six to eight weeks.

Your fridge should be set between 30 and 35 degrees Fahrenheit, and you can also cover your apples with a damp paper towel or store them in a plastic bag with holes, which adds some extra moisture. Also, buy or pick apples with their stems still intact, since stems protect apples from invading microorganisms that can cause them to rot.