So I buy fruits once a week from Wollies, including berries like Strawberries, Raspberries and Blueberries.
However most of the times they go bad ( white/grey cloudy stuff) by the third or fourth day even though I keep them in the fridge.
Any methods you guys using to keep them fresh?
Berries Going Bad - Solutions
TKC on 27/05/2022 - 08:20
Comments
I have had good success with the vinegar bath method.
I did a not very scientific test of purchasing two punnets of blueberries, one got the vinegar bath the other didn't, the bathed ones lasted an additional week before going soft and unedible.
That's such an awesome tip!! I will definitely be using it - I easy strawberries regularly and I am always so sad when I have to throw away the last few that grow mould or go mushy before I can get to them.
Going to give this a try this weekend. As @dust mentioned I am bit worried about vinegary taste. Let’s see.
i'm guessing baking soda / hco3 would also keep them clean and avoid stuff growing on it for a while
My mum used to do this, and I still do.
It seems to keep the berries good for about a week.
That white/greycloudy stuff is mold, it's growing on them rather than the berries themselves actually going bad.
Washing them in a vinegar and water solution, then dry them off before putting back in the fridge, will extend their shelf life by a long time.
Do the berries taste like vinegar afterwards?
They taste like UK fish and chips.
Nah, you just make a mild solution. You're not trying to pickle the poor things, just kill the spores before the fungus takes hold. It's about changing the pH conditions.
Lol. You're not trying to pickle the poor things….
Worst advice ever.
Just like a plant or tree, mould usually doesn't just grow on the surface, it penetrates below, into the food. So if you're okay with potentially eating mouldly fruit, go for it. Otherwise, best to bin it once you see mould.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2017-05-17/is-it-safe-to-…
This is about killing surface moulds before they take hold. Not about cleaning mouldly fruit, they should definitely go in the bin…
😂 Did you read the article I linked?
@John Kimble: The tip is to rinse the berries as soon as you get them home, killing any mould spores before they grow.
You will be eating fruit no more moldy than if you hadn't rinsed it.
@mskeggs: In fact you'll be eating less mold, since it's there already just not in the quantity we can see. The wash removes/kills some.
@John Kimble: Yes, I did! Mould grows deep into moist foods… this is about treating moist foods before that happens. Why was I negged? 😕
@pinchies: Yes, washing them as soon as you get home to prevent/delay mould makes sense, I agree with you there.
I didn't neg you. I read illogicalerror's post as only washing in vinegar once mould has appeared (nothing mentioned about washing preventatively), which is why I thought it was bad advice.
I used to eat a lot if strawberries,blueberries etc, gave up on raspberries . Always soggy.
The problem is a lot of the time Woolworths etc were past There used by when sold, There soggy.
Nothing like buying them when there firm tho…u need to check them when u buy them
then also take them out, dry them and check for dud ones to throwwhen I do that I get close to a week for berries. strawberries don't last long
from Wollies
There's your problem right there. Colesworth produce is garbage and overpriced.
Buy frozen berries instead.
Agree. They defrost in no time as well. No wastage at all.
Fresh berries taste nicer though
I found sometimes woollies and Coles berries have mold already on them on shelf.
I try pick best one and when I get home wash them before putting into fridge.
Once had to bin an entire 900g pack of strawberries from Costco.
Buy frozen and blend in a smoothie.
This doesn't always work well.
- Some frozen fruits have contained salmonella and listeria (especially those imported from less hygienic countries) .
- Most frozen fruit is horrible and sour (not sure why, but berries are typically awful).
My partner swears by these containers. She mainly uses them for berries and keeps them fresh for much longer:
https://www.kmart.com.au/product/17-litre-fridge-food-saver-…
+1 Not dishwasher safe though…learned that the hard way. 😔
Interesting, I wonder if these would work the same https://www.bigw.com.au/product/sistema-klip-it-1-litre-stra… we have these but just use them for olives and beetroot with the liquid in. I wonder if just putting berries and letting moisture drip down would work. These are dishwasher safe.
One time I went to the Berry farm and picked my own raspberries. Put them in the fridge and they lasted for about 2 weeks, which is how long it took me to eat them all.
Freeze them
This. What do you end up doing with your berries? If smoothies or cooking, then what do you have to lose by freezing them?
Retains vitamins, minerals, taste, colours, etc.
Plus added bonus of making your smoothies thicker due to tiny ice crystals, or cook better due good dispersion after defrosting.
I saw on Tik Tok that they suggested putting them into mason screw top jars in the fridge straight from the plastic container, no berries washing required. I haven't tried it but they suggested it will last a month like that
We have been doing this for awhile and have had much less spoilage. I think the exclusion of additional oxygen probably inhibits the growth of the mold. Maybe one of those containers that you can suck out air might work even better? An additional benefit of the mason jars is they don't tend to kamikaze out of the fridge onto the floor like the plastic punnets tend to.
Thanks to all the enviro-luddites, Australia doesn't use gamma radiation on fruit and veg as extensively as other countries (e.g. Europe, USA). This safe process extends the shelf life of produce significantly, for example strawberries can still be in good condition after 30 days.
Sorry OP, I know this doesn't help you.Too afraid of accidentally making the hulk?
Try using Freshpaper? And is there too much moisture in your fridge?
What's that?
I used to do a lot of design work for berry farms. A colleague asked of they should wash the fruit before eating? The CEO responded:
Fruit is picked and packed by backpackers working in a field all day with a portable toilet and no running water - I do.
Water + vinegar, lay the fruit on paper towel overnight to dry, it doesn't taste like vinegar.
Our 4yo eats berries like no tomorrow, has done since he started on solids. We always wash the fruit first and he's never complained.Just remember to dry it. Putting a folded square in the bottom of the container helps too.
Take them out of container, inspect for any that are not looking ok. Place in a glass jar that has been washed in the dishwasher.
Blueberries have a natural non-harmful white film, so not sure whether you're talking about mould (bad) or bloom (okay)
I select them and quickly rinse with water, dry, and transfer to a sealed container with one or two layers of paper towel to absorb humidity, then leave the container in the fridge.
This "technique" can be found here
https://frugalfamilyhome.com/food/kitchen-tips/how-to-keep-s…Old lady here. This is what I do and it works a treat with the berries lasting a week or more. I get the berries home and empty them into the kitchen sink with water and a slurp of vinegar then i put them in a strainer to drain. I have sustema "freshworks" containers. These have like a little piece in the bottom that keeps the berries away from the moisture but in addition I fold a square of kitchen paper and put between the bottom of the container and the little plastic shelf thing to absorb any moisture then put the berries on top and refrigerate. I do the same for spinach leaves and the like minus the vinegar bath and it works a treat.
I always eat mine within 24hours. No wastage for me
They are out of season and we are eating frozen/stored ones from summer. So it will be hard to get fresh ones that last more than a couple of days.
However my kids love them in the lunch box. I've had better luck checking the punnets before purchase and get the bigger size strawberries which last longer and the thicker, lighter coloured raspberries.
I use Foodsaver containers, lined with a piece of paper towel. The Foodsaver container sucks all the air out and I typically get between 7-10 days for all my berries.
https://www.appliancesonline.com.au/product/sunbeam-foodsave…
take it to court
Generally I don't expect these kind of fruits to last longer than that - I aim to use within 3 days. Maybe strawberries and blueberries a bit longer if they are fresh. Transfer them to plastic containers without the air holes and they should keep a little longer.