I’m trying this new series of articles on Fridays called “Favorite Things Friday” where I will be sharing some of my favorite things, products, life tips, in hopes that you might find it useful in some way for your family. Please let me know in the comments if you would like to see more articles like this. I’m experimenting with this for the next few weeks. If you would like to see more articles like this, I can keep this series going. To go along with these Friday articles, I’ll also include a Giveaway!
My kids love strawberries and blueberries. One of the biggest frustrations I have with strawberries is that they rot so quickly in the fridge. So much so that I started avoiding buying Organic Strawberries, since they tend to go bad even faster. Often, I’ll check back after 2-3 days of buying them, and the entire pack is moldy and needs to be thrown away. I hate wasting food! (Really, I hate wasting anything that I paid for with hard earned money.)
Let me document some tips and products I found helpful in helping to keep strawberries fresh for longer (and other produce too).
How to Keep Strawberries Fresh for Longer
Here are some tips that I’ve learned on how to keep strawberries last longer than the usual 2-3 days. The key to keeping strawberries fresh is to keep them stored clean and dry.
1. Wash Right Away with Vinegar
Once I get home from the grocery store, I wash the Strawberries before they go in the fridge. Mold spores on the fruits are what makes them go bad quickly.
I wash my strawberries with Apple Cider Vinegar and water mix. You can do this in a big bowl or a salad spinner. Leave it soaking for a few minutes. The vinegar solution helps to remove spores and bacteria on the fruit, thus extending their life.
I typically add about 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar to a bowl of water. But you can use regular Vinegar as well. Some people add more vinegar for their wash solution (ie. 1 cup vinegar for 3 cups of water), in which case you’ll have to rinse extra well.
2. Dry Your Strawberries
Drying your berries is the next important step. You can get rid of excess water by spinning it a few times in a salad spinner. AND/OR drying it with a soft cloth or paper towel.
You can also air dry them in a colander, but with so many things going on, I’m afraid I’ll forget about the drying berries on the counter overnight (lol), so I don’t do this.
3. Storing Your Strawberries for Freshness
The quick and cheapest solution (what I used to use) for storage is to line the plastic containers (they came in) with paper towels and put the berries back in the containers.
And then a few months ago, there was a deal we posted on these Rubbermaid FreshWorks containers. I got a set to try and have been hooked ever since!
There’s a little perforated tray in the bottom of the container to keep produce from soaking in any condensation and moisture. And the lid has little “holes” in it to allow air flow in and out of the container.
I’ve since purchased a few more of these from Target (with the food storage category coupon), and I use it with all my fruit that needs washing.
One tip I found to be helpful is to wash all your fruits and veggies in one sitting. Then dry and store. It’ll save you time in the long run instead of washing one item as you need it. Plus, it’s so much more convenient to use, without the additional friction of needing to wash fruits. In the mornings, I love pulling out my green and white containers of already washed fruits and packing my kid’s lunches. SO Nice!
Giveaway Time! Win a Set of FreshWorks for FREE
To make it fun, I’m gonna include a Giveaway to go with these Favorite Things Friday articles every Friday. Check back every Friday for more of my Favorite Things.
For today’s giveaway, I’m giving away the 3-Piece set of FreshWorks Produce Saver Food Storage Containers to 4 Readers. This giveaway starts on Friday 8/24 and will end on Monday 8/27. Winners will be announced on this blog only on Tuesday 8/28 before 12pm PST. You’ll have 48 hours to claim your prize.
To enter in this giveaway: leave a comment below with a useful tip you use at home or something you recently learned or tell me about one of your favorite products. And tell me where you’re reading from (city and state). Let me know by leaving a comment on this post.
This post is NOT sponsored by anyone. I just really love this product and wanted to share my experience. All prizes are paid for by myself.
Do You Have a Favorite Product or Life Tip? Want to be published in a future “Favorite Things Friday”? Shoot me an email with your write up and pictures. If I accept your submission and publish your tip, I’ll also send you a $50 Gift Card to the store of your choice. Send email to tina@FreeStuffFinder.com with subject “Favorite Things Friday Tip”.
Bre from Cali here. I like to clean my shower head with a bag, rubber band and vinegar!! Keeps the spraying working at its best!!
I’ve really wanted to try these!!
I like using dryer sheets to add shine and a protective barrier to fixtures in the house, like faucets and such. Just rub the surface and admire the shine.
We are in Woodbridge VA
Add lime juice to your guacamole to keep it from turning brown. I’m in Dallas,Texas.
Dipping cotton balls in Clorox to get rid of mold, just leave them there for 30 minutes or more and no harsh scrubbing needed. West Chicago, Illinois.
Hello, I’m from Brooklyn NY. I always have a hard time making my fruit last. This is a great tip to wash before and store in fridge. I’m definitely going to try this and make my fruit last. Would you say ziplock bags will work too! Like to freeze them or just putting in fridge. Because don’t really have containers to put them in. Thank you for this tip!
I just learned on washing the fruit with vinegar and letting it dry to be able to store it so it won’t go bad as fast. That’s such a helpful tip for me because that way I won’t be having to go to the store every 2 days for some fresh strawberries or blueberries,
U can also use Bragg’s vinegar(ass a little dish soap) to capture and unwanted fruit flies!
I add a teaspoon on Vinegar to my black load of laundry. Keeps the Black from fading. Hello from Ft. worth Texas
Totally going to try this! Thanks for the awesome tip!
I didn’t even know to wash fruits with vinegar. I’ll usually wash with water and put them back into their containers (no drying). No wonder my fruit was always going bad so fast. I usually go shopping every week but sometimes my raspberries would go bad in 2 days! I will definitely try the vinegar wash and drying method. I am also a big fan of raw spinach, how can I preserve that for longer?
Ashley (Lincoln, NE)
Hello from Saginaw michigan. one of my favorite cleaning tips is how to clean a shower with dawn dish saop, vinegar and water. mix 1cup dawn and 2 cups vinegar in a spray bottle and fill the rest with hot water, mix together and spray. leace set for 5-10 mins and wash off with rag.