Want an old-time kitchen tip about how to keep berries up to a week longer without molding?
This knowledge had been passed down from grandmothers to daughters since the pioneers made their own vinegar. Somehow it has gotten lost along with how to harvest mullein herb to make an effective decongestant or make an elderberry tincture to keep us well through the winter.
This is the time of year that berries are most available to us, but these little jewels can be pretty perishable since they are susceptible to mold. If you are prepared with old-fashioned knowledge you can save money and avoid frustration.
As soon as you come home with your berries, resist putting them in your fridge and just do a simple vinegar bath first.
Vinegar contains 5 percent acetic acid which has antimicrobial properties. Various studies have found that vinegar can inhibit the growth of some strains of E. coli. It’s also an effective mold killer.
Directions:
1,) Prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (either white or apple cider vinegar works) with five parts water.
Those of us who use vinegar in our household cleaning arsenal know that vinegar is one of the best all-natural and frugal cleaners around. It kills any kind of bacteria or spores on contact, so we can apply the same principle to our berries. The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit.
2.) I just plop the berries into the mixture and swirl them around for 1 minute. Leaving them too long can make them soggy.
3.) Drain and rinse them with water. I have both rinsed and not rinsed, and they don’t taste like vinegar either way.
4.) I feel the secret is making sure they are completely dry before storing them in the fridge. You might use a salad spinner for your firmer berries (blueberries and strawberries), but raspberries will break up.
I place some paper towels down on the counter before I start and after draining, roll them out to dry.
You can likely find some great stock up prices right now and know they’ll stay fresh as long as it takes you to eat them fresh, freeze them, bake with them, or make jams for over the winter.
Blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries will last a week without getting moldy and soft. This will also extend the keeping time of peaches.
Health Benefits Of Berries:
A recent Harvard study followed 16,010 women over the age of 70, finding those who ate berries slowed memory loss by almost three years.
1.) Berries help with weight loss: Berries are loaded with the antioxidant anthocyanin, which has been shown to alter the activity of genes found in human fat cells, making it more difficult to put on weight. Blueberries, specifically, have been shown to diminish stubborn belly fat.
2.) Berries are good for your brain: Investigators with the US Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston found that the polyphenols in berries help the part of the brain that takes care of regular maintenance and “housekeeping.” Blueberries and strawberries were said to contain the most polyphenols.
3.) Berries are good for your eyes: Berries, especially blueberries and raspberries, contain lutein, which is important for healthy eyes and sharp vision.
4.) Berries help protect against disease: Berries are brimming with carotenoids, an antioxidant that has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer. Other phytonutrients in berries have been shown to protect against heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis. Those deep hues pay off tenfold when it comes to maintaining the health of your body.
5.) Berries help slow down the aging process: The powerful antioxidants in berries prevent free radical damage in your body, and less free radical damage means slowing down the aging process to help you live longer!
Enjoy God’s natural summer bounty!
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Jacqueline….oh thank you for the information on keeping berries from molding so quickly. I am definitely going to try this. I always learn something when I stop by. :o)
Have a fabulous week my friend.
Jacqueline
I’m so glad! I hope to link-up today …see you then! Blessings 🙂
Shirley Ann
Great post! Thanks so much for the advice. All along the hedgerows I am seeing blackberries, just days away from ripening and cannot wait to go blackberrying with my DH and our girls. I usually end up freezing berries for winter use, but I always worry about the little spores, bacteria etc on the fruit. Now I wont have to worry – thanks again :o)
Jacqueline
Shirley Ann,
Oh, have a blast picking~ creating sweet memories!! I hope you get a great crop 🙂 Watch out for poison ivy, though! And have a blessed week 🙂
Toni
I never thought of using vinegar for my berries, but I will after reading this post. Thank you for all the wonderful tips I find here. Have a wonderful week!
Jacqueline
You are welcome, Toni! Glad to be of help 🙂 See you soon!
Shannon @ Of The Hearth
This is so helpful! I only shop for groceries twice each month, so it’s tough to keep fruit fresh between trips.
Does this work with grapes? Or is there another trick for them? (I have a terrible time keeping grapes from molding!)
Jacqueline
Yes, it should! For me, I wash the fruit first and then do the vinegar bath. It definitely should work, but won’t be effective indefinitely, of course! 🙂 Blessings!
Pamela
Happy to have this tip. I love berries but they seem to go bad so fast. I have an abundance of red raspberries since the store had them for $1.00 a package. I just love your blog. I never know what I’ll find with I visit.
Jacqueline
Pamela,
Oh, that is a great buy!!! Randomness is probably one of my downfalls…my mind is all over the place! Blessings~and happy berrying!
Gigi
That’s great info! I know to use vinegar in water to clean/wash fruits, but I always forget to do it and just rinse in water. And my berries always mold quickly…which is sad, because I rarely buy them, since organic berries are so expensive. So I tend to buy frozen and use in smoothies.
Great tip! 🙂
Jacqueline
Gigi,
After you rinse them, instead of spreading them out on a towel to dry, you can also spread them out on a cookie sheet (not touching), and freeze and bag them 🙂
janie ferrell
Hi I made the garlic tincture with vodka and over nitght it turned green… my question is it normal or should I pitch it.
Thanks, Janie
Jacqueline
Hi, Janie,
If it was made with vinegar, it would be totally normal and just a chemical rxn. With vodka, mine is a light golden yellow, a little deeper than the garlic cloves. I am not sure what to say. This is the post that it talks about it turning green with vinegar, but after re-reading it, there is no mention of it with vodka. *If all it is is garlic and vodka*, I don’t think I’d worry personally, but pray about it and use your best judgement 🙂 Blessings!
Laura
WHAT?!? There is a way to prolong the refrigerator life of my berries? How did I not already know this?! Thank you for this super helpful tip.
Jacqueline
You are so welcome! It will add a day or two only, though! Make sure you let them air dry on a paper towel to get rid on that extra moisture before refrigerating.
Blessings!
Jeannette
Thank you for the reminder. I just had a few raspberries go bad. I was thinking that this was good with strawberries alone. I thought other berries might be too fragile. So it is good info! I try to always have some berries in the fridge for nutrition.
We have a lot of mulberries on our farm, and enjoy those too. I just assume that they have similar health benefits.
Thanks for another helpful post!
Jacqueline
Hi, Jeannette!
Yes, berries are one of the best foods available, esp when we can get them with no pesticides sprayed on them! Growing them ourselves is about the only way or a local organic CSA.
I find that a quick vinegar soak makes them so much less fragile so I always do it now… just don’t let them set in there too long!
God bless you, sweet friend!