Storing Fresh Strawberries

Did you pick up some fresh strawberries and don’t want them to turn moldy before you can eat them? Then read on for information about how long strawberries last in the fridge and steps you can take to make them last longer!

 

Fresh strawberries have mold spores on them and those beautiful berries can turn moldy in no time. There are several things you can do to prevent this, but how long do strawberries last in the fridge?

I don’t know about you, but when strawberries are in season, I want to grab a couple of quarts from the farmer’s market to make strawberry cinnamon rolls, strawberry poke cake, or strawberry jam, but I don’t want my delicious strawberries to go bad before I can get around to using them.

I have some time saving tips that will make sure your strawberries stay fresh in the fridge. Outside of the fridge, they will only last 1-2 days.

Strawberries can last easily 2 weeks and even a little longer depending on when they were picked. However, you have to take a couple of easy steps to make sure they stay fresh and don’t turn moldy.

How to Store Fresh Strawberries: How long do strawberries last?

Strawberries can last a week in the fridge if you do nothing to them. If you rinse them in a vinegar wash, they will last at least 2 weeks in the fridge. They will only last a couple of days at room temperature.

How to keep strawberries fresh for one week

A quick method that will keep them fresh in the fridge for about one week is to remove them from the container they came in, take out any moldy ones and place them in a container lined with a paper towel. Do NOT wash them. Water will increase the likelihood that they will turn moldy.

There is no guarantee that they will last a week unless they were just picked.

How to keep strawberries fresh for two weeks

The strawberries you get at the grocery have generally been packed in the field, and shipped in refrigerated trucks. That could mean that by the time you purchase them they are already a week old. So how do you make strawberries last longer?

Whether you want to keep strawberries fresh for a few days or for two weeks, a vinegar wash is the best way to keep strawberries fresh. It takes a few minutes but you wont’ get moldy strawberries. The vinegar kills the mold spores so the strawberries taste just as fresh as when you picked them two weeks later.

Steps for keeping strawberries fresh with a vinegar wash

Step 1:

Fill up a large bowl with 5 ½ cups of water and a ½ cup of white vinegar. Place the strawberries, stems and all, in the vinegar bath and let them soak for 5 minutes. Don’t take the stems off the strawberries, put them in whole.

Step 2:

Let them soak for 5 minutes, remove from the vinegar bath and rinse in a colander. Place them on a paper towel lined cookie sheet and allow them to dry for about 20 minutes. Moisture is not your friend, so make sure they are dry before you store them.

Step 3:

Line a resealable container with paper towels and add the dry strawberries. You can stack them on top of each other. Cover and refrigerate.

You won’t believe how fresh they taste even after two weeks. This will allow you to get a whole basket at the farmer’s market and not worry if you can’t make jam or strawberry pie right away. You can grab some for a snack or pack in lunches without having to worry about them going bad.

How to use fresh strawberries

Fresh strawberries aren’t around long in North Carolina so you’ll need some strawberry recipes in your back pocket to pull out once they are available at your local farmer’s market. Find out when strawberries are in season where you live, along with even more tips about strawberries, so you’ll be ready!

• If you have tons of strawberries, try making strawberry rhubarb jam without pectin, or a classic strawberry jam. It’s easy to do and you can freeze it or can it for later.

• For a simple strawberry dessert, you can’t go wrong with a strawberry cobbler topped with biscuits.

• If you’re in the mood for pie, try a slab pie, an icebox pie or an old fashioned chiffon pie.

• Is cake calling your name, try a layer cake with fresh strawberries, or a pound cake.

• If you want to use them in a frosting or as a snack, you can dehydrate them, here’s a post explaining how to dehydrate in your oven.

• You can also freeze them to use for smoothies.

Strawberry Tips

How do you freeze strawberries?

Wash with a vinegar wash, rinse, remove the stem and let them dry on a paper towel. Once dry place in a single layer and freeze on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, place in a freezer bag.

How long will strawberries last in the freezer?

Strawberries will last about a year in the freezer, after that they will start to get freezer burn. You can avoid this by vacuum sealing them.

How do you choose ripe strawberries?

Choose strawberries that are red all the way to the stem, there should be no white visible. The stem should be bright green.

How should you eat strawberries?

Strawberries will have the most flavor if they are eaten at room temperature.

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