How to keep strawberries fresh for a long time

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Freshly picked strawberries, if correct store it, it will last in the refrigerator for a week. But no one knows how many berries have been waiting for you on the counter. Below are some life hacks that will help preserve the goodies.

1. Choose fresh berries

Preservation of products begins with purchase. When you choose strawberries, carefully examine them and the container in which they are sold. If the berries have darkened, become soft, and pieces of pulp remain on the walls of the box, then the strawberries have already begun to spoil. Even a few berries with mold are a sign of a stale product.

When you pick strawberries from your beds, pick the fully red but still firm berries without waiting for them to soften.

2. Sort the strawberries immediately after purchase

Even if you really want to put the box in the refrigerator and take it out to pour cream over the berries, you need to make an effort and sort the strawberries after purchase. The cleanest and freshest batch may have a couple of moldy ones. They need to be gotten rid of, otherwise this spoonful of tar will ruin the entire barrel of honey.

The same applies to products stored nearby: mold quickly spoils strawberries, so keep only fresh fruit in the refrigerator.

3. Choose the right storage container

Strawberries will stay fresh longer in good packaging, and good packaging for berries is boxes made of strong cardboard or wood with holes for ventilation. Plastic can also be suitable, but it should also have holes in it. The thinner the layer of berries, the longer they will last in the refrigerator. Layer the layers of strawberries with paper towels so that they absorb excess moisture.

4. Don't wash all the berries at once

Strawberries should only be washed right before you are going to eat them. If you leave the berries wet, they will spoil faster. When you need to store clean berries, after washing, lay them on a paper towel and dry them.

5. Use vinegar

A mixture of water and vinegar helps remove bacteria from the surface of strawberries better than just water. But this method should only be used if there were a lot of spoiled berries in one batch: then the benefits of processing outweigh the harm from excess moisture.

Make a solution by mixing vinegar with water in a ratio of 1:3, rinse, gently wiping each one. In any case, do not forget to dry the strawberries on a paper towel.

6. Store the berries in a special compartment of the refrigerator

In the last few years, almost all refrigerators have been produced with special compartments, the temperature of which does not exceed 2 ºС. That is where you should put the strawberries.

7. Freeze strawberries

Many people are dissatisfied with this method, because after defrosting strawberries spread and turn into porridge. To prevent this from happening, use only firm berries for the freezer and only after the berries are completely dry.

If you freeze strawberries whole, get creative. For example, dip the strawberries in melted chocolate or yogurt before placing them in the freezer.

Follow some rules: to keep the berries in good shape, first lay them out one by one (for example, on cutting boards, on cling film or in cut bags), and then pour them into bags or boxes. There should be space in the container so that the strawberries do not turn into an ice cube.

8. Freeze strawberry puree

If the berries do not withstand the test of frost, and you can not eat them right away, do not resist the circumstances. Make a puree using a blender and send it to the freezer. Then you can add crushed berries to cocktails or smoothies.

9. Defrost correctly

Do not put the berries in the microwave or under running water, this is guaranteed to soften them. Let them thaw in the refrigerator and eat while there are ice crystals in them. Completely defrosted strawberries will still lose their shape.

11. Pour the berries with pectin syrup

This is not the most common method, because pectin powder is rarely found on the shelves of regular stores. But you can buy it. Pectin is a natural stabilizer, most often it is obtained from apples. Place the clean berries in sterile jars and pour over the boiled and cooled pectin syrup (the proportions vary depending on the manufacturer, so follow the instructions on the package). The strawberries will not become too bland and will retain their natural flavor, but not for long – such preservation is not very reliable. Berries can also be frozen in pectin for greater safety.