If stored properly, strawberries can extend their freshness for up to one week and not lose their taste. But if the berries were bought from the store counter, then the time that passed from the moment when they were picked up to the moment when they were bought is practically impossible to determine. In this article, you will learn how best to store strawberries in order to extend its shelf life. What to do if there are a lot of berries and there are difficulties in using them before they spoil. As well as how to properly store strawberries in the freezer.
How to pick a berry for storage
So, the berries are harvested or bought at the store. And here the question arises: how to store strawberries? Provided that you buy it in a store, the shelf life directly depends on the right choice. First of all, you need to carefully examine the berry during the purchase in order to identify signs of stale strawberries. To do this, pay attention to the presence of crumpled berries and strange spots in the package - this indicates that she most likely has already begun to rot. A wet berry spoils much faster. In no case should you eat strawberries on which mold has formed. If the berry grows in your garden, then it should be picked only ripe.
With what is better to choose, we decided. Now about how to store strawberries at home. First of all, we need to sort it out, throwing away a berry on which mold has already wound up. After all, it spreads over strawberries and can quickly ruin it. Of course, we would like to buy fresh and ripe berries, but, unfortunately, among them there are always a couple of spoiled ones, and therefore it is better to sort them out right away. It should also be applied not only to strawberries, but also to fruits that can be stored next to it.
Strawberry processing immediately before use
How to store fresh strawberries? In order for the berry to remain fresh as long as possible, it is necessary to wash it only before eating it. The fact is that it absorbs water well, and as a result it becomes sour and starts to deteriorate much faster. To avoid this, strawberries should be washed only when you want to use it for an interesting dish or just eat it.
The procedure for washing berries is mandatory and necessary, as we wash away harmful microorganisms from the surface and prevent chemicals that may be contained in the soil from entering our bodies. And in order to dry strawberries, you can use paper kitchen towels.
Some recommend washing it in vinegar. Table vinegar and water much better clean the surface of the berry from harmful bacteria and viruses, compared with ordinary water. To do this, you need to take one part of vinegar and three parts of water. The resulting solution must be used as a spray, spraying it onto the surface of the berry. But to remove all the dirt, a simple rinse in the water will not be enough, so you should carefully wash each berry with gentle movements.
Strawberry storage in the refrigerator
Now it’s worthwhile to figure out how to store strawberries in the refrigerator:
- It will remain fresh provided that it is stored in a cold place. The most suitable temperature for this is from 0 to 2 degrees.
- To protect the strawberries from drying out, it is necessary to place it in the lower part of the refrigerator, in a plastic container or bag, but do not close it tightly.
- To remove excess liquid from the berries, you should dry them with a paper towel.
Strawberry storage in the freezer
Since strawberries can also be stored in the freezer, we will analyze all the recommendations for this:
- Do not freeze soft and spoiled berries - this does not make sense, since they have already lost their taste.
- A berry of bright red color is well suited for freezing, so it is worth sorting through strawberries before putting it in the freezer.
- It is necessary to take care of the removal of green sepals, since strawberries are sold with them.
- You need to decide exactly how you will freeze the berries. You can freeze the whole berry, but this method is not very good if you are going to use this strawberry to cook a variety of dishes. It may be more convenient to immediately chop it into pieces with the right size. The thawed berry can not always be cut exactly as you need it. Therefore, sometimes it is worth cutting it before putting it in the freezer. If there are difficulties with the choice of the form in which the berry will be frozen, then it is worth looking ahead and understand what dishes you will use it for.
How to store strawberries and at the same time preserve its taste?
To preserve the berry's taste, aroma and form, sugar syrup or sugar itself is added to it. The only minus of this method is that some people don’t like that after this, strawberries become very sweet. If it was decided to still use this method, then for each liter jar of berry it is necessary to put 100 grams of sugar.
Sugar syrup can be prepared by mixing sugar and warm water and cooling the mixture in the refrigerator. Pour the berries with it so that they are all covered with syrup - the ratio of components should be 1: 1. Adding it is best done when the containers are already filled with strawberries.
What is the best way to store the berry
Stack berries is only in containers in which you can freeze food. An example is plastic containers that are suitable for freezing, or a dense plastic bag with a special locking mechanism.
Before putting strawberries in the freezer, do not stack it tightly. Since the berries can freeze to each other, and you get a "whole" instead of individual pieces and strawberries. And also do not completely fill the container with berries, because when they freeze, they expand.
If you freeze strawberries without adding sugar to it, then you can use the baking sheet of the freezer. To do this, pour the berries on it with an even layer and leave it in the freezer for several hours. After you need to transfer them into packages. The advantages of this method are that you can take berries one at a time, rather than tear them apart.
Now it has become very popular to freeze berries, since it is very convenient to store strawberries in the refrigerator, namely in the freezer.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is worth saying that before sending the strawberries for storage in the refrigerator, it is necessary to sort it out, discard all soft and moldy berries, and also remove excess liquid with a paper towel. To prevent strawberries from weathering, they must be stored in the bottom of the refrigerator in a loose bag or container for storing food. Do not forget that the berry can be frozen, and, already starting from your preferences, do it in sugar or without it, so how to store strawberries for a long time in this way is much more convenient.