How To Make Berries Last Longer

Inside: Are you trying to keep your berries fresh? Check out this AMAZING tip on how to make berries last longer. Make your strawberries last for weeks.

Stocking up on foods when their prices are low is a great way to save on your grocery bill. However, stocking up on fruits and veggies can sometimes be a challenge.

Those summer fruits like strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries can really go bad very quickly. Sometimes it's tough to even get a couple of days from ripe berries.

You can preserve the berries by making strawberry jam, freezing the berries, or dehydrating them. But how do you make fresh berries last longer? It isn't as hard as it seems. With these tricks below, you can have your berries last a week or longer.

Why This Works?

By washing the fruit to remove any dirt, mold, and bacteria and then letting them dry all the way before storing it will help prevent rotting berries.

If you want to quickly wash other fruits and vegetables check out my homemade produce wash spray. It's easy to use!

How To Make Berries Last Longer

To help keep your berries lasting longer I recommend having a few things. You probably already have a few of these items. Spending a little money now will help keep those berries fresh all summer long.

These tips for great for blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and more!

Items needed to keep berries fresh

• Vinegar (just the plain white vinegar works great!)
• Old Towels or Drying Mat
• Breathable Container
• Large Bowl

Wash the Berries To Kill Bacteria and Mold

The first step to helping your berries last longer is to kill off any bacteria or mold. Berries are naturally moist which means they carry a lot of mold and bacteria on them. They can quickly spoil and rot.

To wash your berries and kill off any bacteria and mold follow the directions below.

Vinegar Bath for Berries:

Step 1: Add 3 cups water in a large bowl.

Step 2: Pour in 1 cup vinegar into the bowl and mix.

Step 3: Let the berries soak in the mixture for about 5 to 10 minutes to kill off all the bacteria.

Completely Dry the Berries Before Storing

Once your berries are done soaking in the vinegar mixture drain them and lay them out to dry on paper towels or clean dish towels. This is probably the most important step.

If you don't want kitchen towels stained with berries you can get produce drying mats on Amazon. You will want to let them dry 100 percent before you put them up. If they are still damp they will go bad much quicker.

I just let mine sit and come back a few hours later to put them up.

Let The Berries Breathe

After your berries are dry it is time to store them. Make sure you choose a container that will let them breathe. There are two different ways to do this.

You can either wash out the container they came in or you can use a breathable food storage container I love these breathable containers here.

I picked up some just like it from Aldi and they work great! Because it isn't airtight moisture can escape and they don't spoil as fast.

So spend your summer enjoying the berries and fresh fruit instead of throwing out moldy fruits with these easy tips. You can help stretch your grocery budget further.