Strawberry season means lots of pints of our favorite berry. Here is the best trick on How to Store Fresh Picked Strawberries so they stay fresh for weeks.
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During the summer, I usually buy three baskets of strawberries every week. We mostly just cut them up and eat them plain, or we add them to our salads, smoothies, and water for a delightful fruity taste. But the thing is I always want the strawberries to look just as fresh as when I bought them.
There is nothing worse than buying some gorgeous plump strawberries only to find them in your refrigerator shriveled up, soft and leathery, and maybe even moldy. This happens eventually, but by following this tip learn how to keep your berries from going bad. It works like a charm!
These poor guys were left in the fridge without tender loving care, they had to fend for themselves. These berries have lost their bright red color, the green tops are dried up, and are just not fresh They could still possibly be used in a smoothie for some jam.
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The best way to store strawberries
Once you get your berries home make sure to get them into the refrigerator because these berries like to stay cold. Then follow these steps to keep these red berries beautiful and delicious.
Step 1. First and foremost - Do Not Wash The Strawberries - wash them when you are ready to eat them.
Step 2. Get a flat container with a lid that is large enough to hold the berries in a single layer. I love my Tupperware container, but other containers with a tight-fitting lid will work just as well.
Step 3. Put a layer or two of paper towels on the bottom of the container.
Step 4. Put the strawberries on top of the paper towels in a single layer.
Step 5. Put another piece of paper towel on top of the strawberries.
Step 6. Cover with the lid and put in the fridge.
Step 7. When you take the strawberries out of the fridge to eat, wipe off the condensation on the lid - berries do not like moisture. Sometimes I will replace the top layer of paper towels to keep the berries dryer.
There you have it. Follow this simple trick for keeping your strawberries cold and dry and they will stay fresher longer.
🍓Strawberry Tip #1
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 them for baking.
- Use older berries for strawberry jam.
- Make 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.
🍓Strawberry Tip #2
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.
About strawberries
- Strawberries are grown worldwide and are the most popular berry.
- Strawberries are the only fruit that has seeds on the outside.
- Even though we call strawberries a fruit and a berry, they are actually not a berry and are called a multi-fruit. All the seeds in the strawberry are the actual fruit and the juicy part we love holds all the fruits.
Recipes with fresh strawberries
- Strawberry Curd Tarts are a perfect summer dessert filled with fresh strawberry curd in flaky pastry shells.
- Strawberry Cheesecake Mousse with fresh raspberries is a cool and fruity frozen dessert with the flavor of cheesecake and the texture of a mousse. Everything to love in a dessert.
- Try this awesome and super simple Gelatin Dessert flavored with strawberries and chardonnay wine. It is cool and refreshing and the texture is velvety smooth.
- We love to make these No-Bake Strawberry Shortcakes for a quick dessert to make during the summer. These are perfect for parties and look so pretty in the dessert cups.
- Our favorite Strawberry Sheet Cake is a tasty cake for a summertime dessert. Leave this cake in the pan and top with a creamy strawberry buttercream frosting, then slice and enjoy.
- Homemade 3-Ingredient Strawberry Jam-Without Pectin. This small-batch recipe is for refrigerator jam so no hot packing is required. You can even freeze this jam!
Strawberry equipment
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Recipe
How To Store Fresh Picked Strawberries
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- Strawberries
Instructions
- You need a flat container with a tight-fitting lid that is large enough to hold your strawberries. For 3 pints I used a 13" x 9" container.
- Place a layer of paper towels in the bottom of the container. If the towels are really thin place two layers of towels.
- Add the strawberries on top of the paper towels then top the berries with another layer of paper towels and seal with the lid.
- Keep the strawberries in the refrigerator. When you use the strawberries and remove the lid it will have condensation on top which needs to be wiped dry with a towel.
- Note: If by chance I purchased some overripe strawberries then it might be necessary to replace the paper towels occasionally.
- Keeping your berries in an airtight container with paper towels will keep the berries fresh for at least two weeks.
Notes
- Once you get your berries home put them in the refrigerator as soon as possible. They like to stay cold.
- Do not wash your strawberries until you are ready to eat them.
- I have also used this method with raspberries and blackberries.
First Published: July 15, 2018. Last Updated: June 23, 2022
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About Jere'
From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing both sweet and savory family-friendly recipes for your cooking and baking inspiration.
Glenda
This really DOES work! It saves so much money on wasted produce when it's stored properly. Thanks!
Jere Cassidy
Glad you found it works. The technique is so simple and I never have to throw strawberries away.