How To Keep Strawberries Fresh

Strawberries, oh how I love thee. What would we do without these juicy, sweet red berries? Think about it, no strawberry ice cream or strawberry shortcakes. They really are my favorite fruit, and thanks to all the farmer’s markets and roadside strawberry stands I buy these berries all summer long. Here are some great tips on How to Keep Strawberries Fresh so they stay sweet and tasty.

Did you know?

Strawberries are grown worldwide and are the most popular berry.

Strawberries are the only fruit that has seeds on the outside.

I usually but three baskets of strawberries so we can eat them all week. We mostly just cut them up and eat them plain, or we add to our salads, smoothies, and water for a delightful fruity taste.

Once you get your berries home make sure to get them into the refrigerator because these berries like to stay cold.

red – ripe – juicy

There is nothing worse than buying strawberries only to find them in your refrigerator shriveled up, soft, leathery and maybe even moldy. This happens eventually but by following these tips you can keep your berries fresher longer.

The Care and Keeping of Strawberries

1. First and foremost – Do Not Wash The Strawberries – wash them when you are ready to eat them.
2. Get a flat container with a lid large enough to hold the berries in a single layer. I love my Tupperware container.
3. Put a layer of paper towel on the bottom of the container
4. Put the strawberries on top in a single layer
5. Put another piece of paper towel on top of the strawberries
6. Cover with the lid and put in the fridge
7. When you take the strawberries out of the fridge to eat wipe off the condensation on the lid – berries do not like moisture.

Paper towels in the bottom of the container to keep the berries dry.

Strawberries in a container to keep them fresh

Put another layer of paper towels over the strawberries.

Condensation will form on the top of the tip while you are storing the strawberries in the refrigerator so every time you get the berries out just wipe the condensation off the lid. Remember you want your berries to stay dry.

There you have it. Follow this simple trick for keeping your strawberries cold and dry and your berries will stay fresher longer.

How to use those not so perfect strawberries

Look at these poor berries. I just left them in the fridge to fend for themselves and they have lost their bright red color, the green tops are dried up and are just not fresh. They just are not what you want to snack on, but don’t throw them away because they still have some great uses.

Tips for using old strawberries

Pick over the berries to make sure they are not molded then rinse the berries, dry completely then cut off the green tops. Put the berries in a plastic freezer bag and freeze for baking.
Use older berries for strawberry jam.
Make a strawberry butter for toast, biscuits, and pancakes.
Make a quick strawberry sauce to add to desserts. You can even freeze the strawberry sauce for later.

One last set of tips before you go. Here is the best way to wash your berries.

Fill a bowl with water and add a splash of white vinegar. The vinegar will kill the bacteria on the strawberries.
Let soak for about five minutes.
Drain the vinegar water and rinse the berries.

Here are some great recipes to use those beautiful red strawberries

Strawberry Curd Tarts

Strawberry Raspberry Mousse

A frozen strawberry and raspberry cheesecake mousse

Don’t forget to Pin for later when you have fresh strawberries to keep.

Here are some of my favorite strawberry items you might like too.

My favorite container to store my berries in is the 9″ x 13″ Tupperware Storage Container. The size is perfect for several pints of berries and the tight-fitting lid is perfect for keeping the berries fresh.

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