A Tell-It-All Guide To Methods That’ll Keep Your Strawberries Fresh For Longer
Freshly picked strawberries have the best flavor but do not last long at room temperature without forming mold spores. Due to the soft flesh of strawberries, they easily rot in the absence of proper storage methods. So, if you want to extend the shelf life of your strawberries, read ahead for some genius storage methods.
Apart from the common way to preserve foods and fruits by the method of refrigerating, the best hacks for preserving your strawberries are:
- Vinegar — for freshly bought strawberries.
- Ice Water — for wilting strawberries (not strawberries already forming mold).
- Paper Towels — for strawberries at any stage.
Immersing Strawberries In A Bowl Of Vinegar — making them last longer
Use a large bowl to make a vinegar solution of 5:1 of water and white vinegar. For a few minutes, soak your strawberries in the solution — the vinegar removes bacteria and mould spores, which usually causes the fruit to go bad quickly.
Then you would like to dry your fruit thoroughly by leaving them to air dry in a colander or carefully spinning them in a salad spinner. After the berries are properly dried, store them in the refrigerator.
The strawberries DO NOT taste like vinegar after this process. This method works with raspberries and blackberries, too, and can only be used when they’re (strawberries inclusive) recently bought and fresh.
Immersing The Strawberries In A Bowl Of Ice Water — making them fresher
Fill a large bowl with ice and water, then add the strawberries and allow them to rest for twenty minutes, and that’s it. Therefore, if you want to brighten the strawberries, make them look a little plump and fresh; this is a go-to trick.
This should be done when the strawberries start to wilt. Unfortunately, IT WILL NOT WORK IF THE STRAWBERRIES HAVE ALREADY STARTED TO MOLD!
Storing The Strawberries With Paper Towel — making it last extra longer
After completing the first or second method of preserving your strawberries above, you can keep the strawberries in the refrigerator with a paper towel to add freshness. As in many life situations, moisture ultimately leads to mold growth; therefore, you can keep it fresh for a longer time by confining it in strawberries as much as possible.
Paper towels help absorb all the water when the strawberries ripen in the refrigerator. For best results, always place it on the bottom of the container. This method is not only useful for strawberries but also for all kinds of berries.
Whole strawberries tolerate rot longer than sliced strawberries. Things will be easier if you can put all the strawberries in one container. However, if you need multiple containers to get that single layer, do not hesitate to use multiple containers.
You can stack your strawberries (as they were in the original container), but this can allow the mold to spread quickly from berry to berry. Consider the lamination of light of paper between layers to minimize moisture and contact.
Ensuring the strawberries are dry and in airtight containers makes them last longer ( 7 days or longer), but you might want to eat them sooner for the latest aroma.
