The key to preventing moldy berries? Vinegar!

by Katie

Berries, particularly super-fresh berries, are just wonderful, aren't they?

Image: Healthyfellow.com

But they're also kind of delicate. Raspberries in particular seem like they can mold before you even get them home from the market. There's nothing more tragic than paying $4 for a pint of local raspberries, only to look in the fridge the next day and find that fuzzy mold growing on their insides.

Well, with fresh berries just starting to hit farmers markets, you can tell that we Foodlush writers have berries, and how to keep them fresh, on the brain this week! First Jonna shared this excellent tip on how to salvage berries that are starting to lose their luster. Now I'm here to share a tip on how to prevent them from getting there in the first place:

Wash them with vinegar.

A friend of mine shared this tip with me a few weeks ago, and it really, really works. When you get your berries home, prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider probably work best) and ten parts water.  Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. Drain, rinse if you want (though the mixture is so diluted I find you can't taste the vinegar,) and pop in the fridge.

The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit, and voila! Raspberries will last a week or more, and I've had strawberries go almost two weeks without getting moldy and soft. So go forth and stock up on those pricey little gems, knowing they'll stay fresh as long as it takes you to eat them.

Comments

[Ronald Hampton]

great idea, but I was wondering does the vinegar affect the taste of the berry? I'm not sure if i would live vinegar tasting fruit.

[Air Jordan 5]

scientists inform us how the power of every and just about every motion is close to fifty percent larger than a person's process fat.

[Rebecca]

I was told to keep them flat on a plate and make sure they are not touching (mold spreads) and do not wash them until they are ready to eat. It totally works.

[alissa]

Can't wait to try this! The fruit always has that one moldy berry that contaminates the batch!

[momof3]

giving this a go today. washed them with directions and we will see.
If you are buying berries that go bad in a day or two you are buying bad berries to begin with. mine always last at least 4 days. you must of got some bad berries :(

[Lita]

This is a great tip! Thank you.

[Don Schaffner]

Thanks for the tip. Can you please show me the scientific research that proves that "The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit"

[Penny Hanuszak]

Can't wait to try this as mold is the biggest disappointment during berry season. I live in the berry capital of BC and never heard of this before. Go figure!

[Account Deleted]

I think so,it will work we have to give a try.
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[Sdamos]

So you do not cover them after the vinegar wash? I have always kept berries in airtight containers before washing.

[Rowena]

Does this have any negative effect if I'm using the berries for making jam?

[Toni LaClair]

Thanks for the fantastic idea! Maybe using a higher acidity in the vinigar will work better. I just love all kinds of berries but hate finding any kind of mold, I`m so anxious to try this idea can`t wait for our seasons to begin.

[cindy]

Seems to work, but it made my raspberries mushy. (No mold, though).

[De'Ann]

I tried this last week with my strawberries and it really does work! This week after grocery shopping I decided to go ahead and swish some other produce in the vinegar water as well! :)

[Debbie]

My raspberries turned to mush after I washed them in this mixture. Any suggestions?

[pseudostoops]

I have noticed that with raspberries I have to keep it to a really quick swish- too long and they start to break down - and then I keep them in the fridge after. Sorry it didnt work for you, I hate to waste raspberries!

-Katie

[Elle]

this works too! I do it with most of my fruits that have skins that are consumed. Hard shelled fruits not to much.

[Lauren]

Could I use my homemade orange-vinegar cleaner for this or do the semi-fermented oranges interfere?

[frugalgardener]

There are so many uses for vinegar. You should always have this wonder liquid in your kitchens, laundry and bathrooms. Anyone wondering about the taste or order, vinegar dissipates as soon as it's dry, so use it and use it a lot! It's inexpensive and natural.

[frugalgardener]

I meant to say *odor

[margie reid]

I always thought the fruit lasts longer when you don't refrigerate? so, would you put them in a container with a lid or not? I'm excited to try this as we grow tons of raspberries and strawberries:))

[Taylor]

After you wash them, if you have a bunch and you aren't planning on eating them all very quickly, freeze some of them. Those will keep for a long time and plus berries just taste food frozen anyway :) especially grapes. But you can just thaw them out when you want them.

[Barbie]

I did this with some strawberries, and they stayed fresh for 5 days before I used them. I returned them to the container in which they were purchased.

[Lori Hill]

I planted strawberries last year and they didn't do great but this year they are producing fast but they are molding after a couple of days. Can't wait to try this!!

[Ms. K]

This did not work for me! My rasberries tasted like vinegar, lost their color and got all mushy!