Emma Miller
In early June, the first juicy and ripe strawberries appear in stores and markets. This healthy berry is adored by adults and children alike, but it does not keep for long.
How to store fresh strawberries: top tips
- Choose strawberries carefully. When buying, inspect the berries and remove any rotten, wrinkled, or darkened ones. These greatly accelerate the rotting of fresh berries.
- Do not wash strawberries beforehand. It is better to wash them right before you eat them so that they don’t go sour. If you have already bought washed strawberries, put paper towels between the berries.
- Store strawberries in a proper container. A wooden or cardboard box is ideal, a little worse is a plastic box. The container must have holes for ventilation. In a plastic bag, you should not store strawberries.
- Choose the right place in the refrigerator. It is recommended to put the container in a separate place away from other fruits and vegetables, for example, in the drawer of the refrigerator.
- Use a vinegar solution if the berries start to spoil. Throw away stale berries and wash the rest with a 1:3 mixture of vinegar and water. This will help kill the bacteria on the surface of the strawberries.
How to freeze strawberries
Strawberries can be stored in the freezer for 12 months. Plastic or thick glass containers are great for this purpose, as well as special plastic bags with a clasp. Do not fill the container completely with strawberries – leave 2 cm of free space, as the berries will enlarge when frozen.
It is better to put the strawberries in a single layer on a pallet and frost them, and then put the frozen berries into the container. Then they won’t stick together. You can also sprinkle berries with sugar, so they will retain their shape and flavor after thawing.
If the integrity of the berries is not important, the strawberries can be turned into mashed potatoes. In this form, it is convenient to store it in plastic bags and cut off the necessary amount with a knife.
