How to store strawberries?

Many people like strawberries for their amazing taste and healthy properties.Unfortunately, this berry is available for gathering on a bush for just a month and a half, so many people have a question about how to keep it fresh. If you follow simple rules, you can store strawberries for a rather long time. It is worth understanding this in more detail.

Strawberry is a picky berry, which is able to quickly lose its shape, juices and becomes covered with mold. If it is stored at room temperature, it will not be able to stand unchanged even for more than 7 hours. If you put it in the fridge, the shelf life will increase to several days, which is also quite small, in order to fully enjoy this amazing berry. Only the freezer can guarantee long-term storage of strawberries, as it remains there even until the next harvest season.

Many housewives use a flat dish to preserve this berry throughout the day. It should be decomposed strawberry, and then close the food film and placed on the shelf. Alternatively, the dish can be replaced with a tray that is covered with a paper towel, you can not apply the film and leave the top open.

For storage, you should use only a good berry, because the spoiled fruit will quickly become unsuitable for consumption, and also affect the health of healthy strawberries. To determine the freshness of the crop, you should pay attention to the following criteria:

• peel attracts attention with a bright red color;
• green stems should fit snugly to the base of the berry;
• at the bottom of the container in which there is a strawberry, there should be no water or stuck together berries.

It should be noted that it is better not to purchase strawberries, if on the dishes in which it is located, the walls are brightly stained with strawberry juice or they contain fragments of strawberries. This may indicate that the strawberries were picked at the wrong time, but a few days after the peak of its maturity.

After buying strawberries in a plastic container on the market or in the supermarket, you must immediately sort it. All berries, which are presented without tails, should be eaten first of all, as they will soon begin to lose both taste and useful properties. If damaged berries are found, they should also be removed, since the mold spores will very quickly turn into healthy fruits and within a few hours they will be covered with white moss.

Ripe strawberries are the optimal environment for the development of bacteria. To increase its shelf life after collection, it does not wash, and immediately sends for sale. After buying the berries, you need to pour it into a colander and rinse thoroughly with water under strong pressure. It is necessary to wait for all the water glass, then remove the stem and the berry is ready for use.

If the acquired strawberries contain large amounts of spoiled fruit, then a solution consisting of water and vinegar should be used to kill the bacteria. For its preparation it is necessary to take 1 part of water and 3 parts of vinegar, and mix thoroughly. Each berry should be dipped into this solution for a few seconds. Some housewives use a spray to handle strawberries. After processing the berries should be thoroughly dried, for this fruit should be placed on a towel.

If the plans to store strawberries a month or more, you should prepare a special container. Its peculiarity is that it must have good ventilation. For these purposes, perfect cardboard box, corrugated or plastic bootie with special holes.

For long-term storage at home strawberries can be frozen, because this process allows you to save not only useful properties, but also taste. To ensure that the fruits do not turn into a homogeneous mixture, only dry berries should be selected. They should be evenly distributed on a tray or cutting board, covered with food film and kept in the freezer for three hours. Frozen berries should be placed in the bag, and before the next freezing of the package is to remove the air and securely tie the ends.

It is worth keeping a few simple rules.

• It is strictly forbidden to wash strawberries. These berries like a sponge absorb moisture, with the result that they deteriorate faster. After washing, strawberries should be eaten immediately, since even storage in the refrigerator will not allow prolonging its shelf life. If the berries are frozen, they can be washed, but before storage it is worth getting rid of excess moisture, otherwise it will contain a lot of ice.
• Corroded, moldy berries should be immediately thrown away. Just one rotten berry can spoil the whole package of strawberries, so you should be very careful at the sorting stage. It is necessary to place the berries in a single layer on the surface to eliminate moldy specimens.
• If you plan to use strawberries in the near future, then it can be stored at room temperature, which will allow you to feel its fresh aroma.
• Do not store berries in a plastic container. Although usually the berries are sold in them, but, unfortunately, they are not suitable for storage. It is worth using food containers, which are characterized by durability. Plastic does not allow air inside, so the berry becomes unusable more quickly.

To keep strawberries in the fridge, you should follow these simple tips.

• It is better to use food containers, where to gently shift the berries (take care of large containers). First you need to cover the bottom of the container with paper towels, as they will be able to absorb excess moisture. To distribute strawberries as evenly as possible. Sometimes for a large amount of harvest it is necessary to use several large containers at once. Capacity is strictly forbidden to close to ensure air access to the berries. In this form, strawberries can be stored in the refrigerator until it is consumed.
• To increase the storage period to about a week, a closed food container is ideal. You should peel the berries and remove all the stalks. Place the strawberries in a container, cut side down. For long-term storage of berries should not be in contact with each other. Close the container with a lid and be sure to specify the date of packaging.
• Berries can be stored in the refrigerator and on a baking sheet. They should be cleaned from the stalks and placed on the baking sheet with the sharp part upwards. They should not be in contact with each other. Then put the pan in the fridge. This method will extend the term of the berries for a few days.
• Many people choose a colander for storing this berry. Such capacity provides the movement of air inside, and also promotes a runoff of excess moisture. Strawberries should not be tamped, it should be located freely.

If there is free space in the freezer and you want to keep this berry longer, then there are several recommendations.

• An excellent solution would be the storage of berries in syrup. To make it you need one cup of sugar and 4 cups of water. Sugar is completely dissolved in water, and then hold for some time in the refrigerator. Berries should be placed in a container, and then pour the syrup, then the container should be closed and sent to the freezer.Before use, hold the container for a while at room temperature or in the general compartment of the refrigerator.
• Strawberries in sugar is great for freezing. Berries should be divided into two or four parts, put in a container and covered with sugar. It should be borne in mind that one liter of strawberries will require about 100 grams of sugar. You should carefully stir the sugar with the berries, while the first must be completely dissolved. After that, close the container tightly before freezing.
• Strawberries can be stored as ice cubes. First you need to wash, remove the stem, pour into a blender and add 1 teaspoon of citric acid. All thoroughly whisk until a homogeneous mixture. Next, it should be poured into an ice mold and placed in the freezer.

While freezing, strawberries retain beneficial substances, but lose their original appearance. It becomes softer and darker, but do not be afraid of this.

When buying a berry, one should not, in one’s preferences, proceed solely from its color. It should be understood that after harvesting the strawberry begins to darken, but this does not give it sweetness, the taste remains unchanged.

On how to store strawberries, see below.