A great way to help make your strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or other berries of choice last longer is to store them in a Mason jar or reusable glass jar with a firm closing lid. By doing this, you can extend the life of the fruit.
I place all types of berries in mason jars unwashed as soon as I come home from the grocery store. Seal it tightly with the lid and stick the jar in the refrigerator. Then we just wash them as we need them. Berries will last well over a week.
Store berries in paper towel-lined sealable container, with layers of paper towels between each layer of berries. Keep the lid slightly open to allow excess moisture to escape. Place in the refrigerator to store.
My tests proved that the best way to store fresh strawberries to make them last longer was to place unwashed strawberries in a glass storage container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate them.
When you keep your blueberries in the plastic clamshell they're typically sold in, they get mushy and spoil pretty quickly. Putting them in an airtight glass jar solves the problem.
A great way to help make your strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or other berries of choice last longer is to store them in a Mason jar or reusable glass jar with a firm closing lid. By doing this, you can extend the life of the fruit.
One of the cardinal rules of keeping berries mold-free is to leave them unwashed until the moment before consumption. But, by washing your berries in a solution of vinegar and water, you can extend their shelf-life by days (sometimes even weeks!).
As mentioned above, glass jars keep out air, which lengthens the life of the produce. Glass jars are a safer, healthier alternative to plastic.
Typically strawberries can last up to 2 weeks when stored properly in a mason jar (in the fridge).
Put the clean, dry berries back in the clamshell and store them in the fridge. Make sure to leave ventilation holes in the top uncovered so air can circulate in the package. Otherwise, store the berries in a clean container lined with paper towels, with the lid ajar so condensation can evaporate.
If your berries are whole, storing them in an airtight container could actually cause them to mold quicker due to trapped moisture. The best way to store a bunch of whole berries is to loosely place them—in a single layer if possible—in an open container lined with paper towels.
Just keep it in an airtight jar in your fridge. "If you put your fruit, like strawberries, in a glass jar in the refrigerator, they stay fresh for 2 to 3 weeks!" This method of storing food is actually pretty popular amongst the zero-waste community.
Wash berries when you're ready to eat them.
Berries readily absorb excess water. If you wash them and then stick them in the refrigerator, they could get moldy or mushy. Keep berries fresh and avoid mold spores by keeping them dry until you're ready to use them.
Blueberries will remain fresh up to 4 weeks. Blackberries, a couple of weeks. Raspberries, about a week, plus. This is fantastic; as, otherwise, they notoriously don't last long!
Because mason jars are air tight, they keep the produce from spoiling as quickly.
Store raspberries dry and in the container in which you bought them (or if they are from the garden, in a breathable container). Avoid keeping them in the coldest part of your fridge (usually in the back) or in the crisper. The best place in your fridge is where you'll see them best, thus not forgetting them.
Bottom line
Quickly remove and discard any berries that are moldy or are touching moldy berries, wash the rest well, and then dry them before storing to prevent new mold. And if more than a quarter of the berries in your container are moldy, discard the whole batch.
Because strawberries and other fresh berries tend to have mold spores on their surfaces, they spoil faster when left out at room temperature. Keeping them in the fridge slows down this process so you have more time to use them. It's the best option when you need to keep your strawberries for more than a day or so.
Fruits That Should Not Be Stored in the Refrigerator
Apricots, Asian pears, avocado, bananas, guava, kiwis, mangoes, melons, nectarines, papayas, passion fruit, pawpaw, peaches, pears, persimmons, pineapples, plantain, plums, starfruit, soursop, and quince will continue to ripen if left out on the counter.
Glass is inert
Recyclable glass jars keep food and drink fresher for longer, because unlike other packaging materials, glass is inert and needs no chemical layer between it and the food in question. It also doesn't affect the taste of any food.
As for the berries you're not eating, be sure to store them in the fridge in a container that can breathe. That means no air-tight plastic or glass containers—though if that's all you have on hand, just leave the lid slightly ajar.
Refrigerate fresh berries right after grocery shopping or a visit to the blueberry patch. You can store them in the plastic clamshell they come in, or in a large, un-covered bowl or container. Don't store fresh blueberries in an airtight container as this can trap moisture and speed up mold and rot.
Sometimes, raw fruits and vegetables contain harmful germs that can make you and your family sick, such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. The safest produce to eat is cooked; the next safest is washed. Wash fruits and vegetables under running water—even if you do not plan to eat the peel.