4 Best Hacks to Extend the Life of Fresh Strawberries
Simple tips on how to keep strawberries fresh for longer.
Here are 4 easy hacks to keep your berries fresh longer—assuming you don’t eat them all first. Avoid wasting money on quickly spoiled berries!
Here are the 4 greatest hacks for how to store strawberries at any stage:
- Recently-Bought – Vinegar
- Wilting Strawberries – Ice Water
- All Strawberries – Paper Towels
- All Strawberries – Mason Jars
1. Cleaning strawberries with vinegar and water in a bowl makes them last longer.
This hack is best when you first get home from the market with them! Use a large bowl to make a diluted vinegar wash of 1 part white vinegar to 5 parts water. Soak your berries in the solution for a few minutes. The vinegar will remove the bacteria and mold spores which typically cause the fruit to go bad more quickly. See the photo above of what the water looks like after you rinse the strawberries. Yikes! 😳
Next, you’ll want to dry your berries thoroughly by either leaving them in a colander to air dry. After drying, store your berries in the fridge.
But you’re probably wondering… do the strawberries taste like vinegar? 🤔
No, they don’t! Having personally tried this method with all kinds of berries, rest assured, you don’t have to worry about giving them a vinegary taste. Even my family members who are super sensitive to smells and tastes say it doesn’t affect their deliciousness. 🙂
2. Soak wilting strawberries in a bowl of ice water to make them fresher.
Use a large bowl and fill it with ice and water. Dump strawberries in and let sit for 20 minutes. That’s it, folks! We originally saw this idea over at House Beautiful, and, according to one viral Instagram post, this hack actually works wonders on wilted strawberries. 🙌
We’re not entirely sure how ice water can produce such magic, but the proof is in the pictures, so if you’re looking to brighten up your strawberries, and make them look a bit plumper and fresh, then this will do the trick.
Of course, this hack will not work if your strawberries are already moldy, so don’t consider this a magic trick for turning bad food into something you just picked off the farm.
Hip Tip: We see you eyeing up that roll-up dish drying rack. 😉
3. Store strawberries with a paper towel to make them last even longer.
This trick is handy for a variety of berries! After you’ve onlinepleted our first or second hack above, you can layer on the freshness by storing your fruit in the fridge with a paper towel.
Like many situations in life, moisture will eventually create mold, so limiting it as much as possible on your berries will help keep them fresher for longer. The paper towel will help absorb all the moisture as the strawberries ripen in the fridge, so make sure you place it at the bottom of the container for the best results.
4. Store all your strawberries in a mason jar to keep them good for up to 2 weeks!
Storing berries in a mason jar is the ultimate hack for strawberries and all types of berries for that matter! Once you start doing this hack, you’ll never go back!
Mason jars create an airtight seal that helps keep berries fresh for a longer period onlinepared to plastic containers or bags. The airtight environment slows down the oxidation process and reduces moisture loss, which can help prevent mold growth and preserve the berries’ texture and flavor.
I also love that this is a more eco-friendly way to store your food, but you can also double up on your efforts by adding a paper towel to the bottom.
Ready to devour some berries? Here’s some delicious strawberry recipes to try:
