Help Strawberries Stay Fresh for Longer After You Buy Them  

That sale on strawberries a few days ago was just so good that you had to buy a bunch — but today you’ve noticed mold growing on a couple of the berries. The speed at which berries soften and develop mold is frustrating, but there are strategies you can use to make the berries last a little longer and lose fewer to rot over time.

Why Those Fresh Strawberries Seem to Mold So Quickly

Strawberries rot and mold quickly for a couple of reasons. One is that they’re really moist fruits that often end up in situations with poor airflow. So, you have these droplets of water from condensation plus the moisture in the fruit plus a closed container that allows any mold spores to start multiplying and growing. The other reason is that the berries are easily damaged, opening up the fruit to mold growth. The damage can occur during picking, packing, shipping, and stocking them in the store, and even carrying the berries back to your home.

Don’t Wash Them Yet

So, one thing you can do to stop the berries from going bad is to watch the moisture they’re exposed to. Don’t wash the berries right away, unless you’re going to eat them right away; instead, remove them from their plastic containers and place them in a squat container with a paper towel lining the bottom. When you place the lid on the container, don’t close it completely; leave it so that a little air can get in and out. Then, if you’re not using the berries in the next few hours, place the container in the refrigerator on an upper shelf.

OK, Now Wash Them, and Here’s How

Once you’re ready to use the berries, then you can wash them. Many people like to use produce washes, but you can also dunk the berries in a bowl filled with water and white vinegar in a 3:1 ratio. Swish the berries around a bit and then let them sit in the mixture for a minute or two. Drain them and rinse them off. Then, pat them dry with a paper towel. When they’re completely dry, either use them or place them in a clean container with a clean paper towel in a single layer, covered with a loose lid. Place them back in the fridge on an upper shelf.

Why a Single Layer?

Store strawberries in a single layer to reduce contact. The more the berries touch each other, the easier it is for moisture to become trapped between the layers of berries. That increases the risk of molding.

Why the Counter Isn’t the Best Idea

Uncut strawberries can sit on the counter for a bit; some estimates range from a few hours to a few days. The advantage to leaving them on the counter is that the chill of the refrigerator won’t affect their taste. However, if any of the berries are damaged and you didn’t notice, that could lead to bacterial growth and attract bugs. Placing them in the refrigerator helps reduce that risk.

A Note About Ethylene

Some fruits, like apples, give off ethylene gas. This gas accelerates ripening and can make the berries become overripe pretty quickly. Store berries and fruits like apples away from each other in the refrigerator.

Learn to Freeze Fruit

If you want to buy a lot of strawberries because they’re on sale, learn to freeze fruit. After a few days, when you notice the berries starting to fade (or even right after you buy them), you can wash them if you haven’t already, dry them, and then freeze them. Slice them or freeze them whole. Place them in a single layer on a tray first, though, and let them freeze for about an hour. Then you can pour them all into a freezer container. That initial freezing helps prevent them from freezing together like a lump of strawberry concrete in the freezer container.