Strawberries are very delicate and perishable. Therefore, it is important to store strawberries properly. You can find out here how they stay fresh the longest.
Freshly picked strawberries are very aromatic and rich in vitamin C, folic acid and other important nutrients. Unfortunately, they are also easily perishable and quickly lose their aroma. That’s why you should always buy them fresh from the region or pick them yourself. In addition, it is important that the strawberries are not crushed during transport and get fresh air.
It is best if you store the strawberries at room temperature and eat them the same day. Since water strips the flavor of the fruit, wash it and remove the stems and leaves just before eating. You should always cut out bad spots immediately, as mold in strawberries spreads quickly due to the high water content.
Store strawberries in the fridge
Strawberries will keep in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for up to two days if you store them properly. For this it is important that you keep the strawberries unwashed in the fridge. Additional moisture would cause the fruit to spoil faster.
So that the strawberries get enough air, it is best to put them in a large sieve. But be careful not to stack them too high. It also makes sense to line the bottom of the crisper with kitchen paper, as it will absorb excess moisture. If you don’t have a large colander, you can store the strawberries on a large plate or tray lined with paper towels.
Freeze strawberries
If you want to store the fruit longer, you can also freeze the strawberries. Unfortunately, they get a bit mushy when defrosting, but you can still make a delicious strawberry sauce or a smoothie out of them, for example.
Tip: In order to be able to portion the fruit better later, you can freeze them individually before you freeze them properly. To do this, place them on a tray or large plate and freeze them for a few hours. Then fill them together in a freezer.
canning strawberries
Instead of freezing them, you can also cannish the strawberries. It works like this:
Wash the strawberries thoroughly and remove the pulp.
Place them in clean, boiled mason jars.
Boil water with sugar in a ratio of 3:1 in a saucepan.
Allow the resulting sugar water to cool.
Pour the sugar water over the strawberries up to the rim of the jar and seal tightly.
Now you boil the jars. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can also do this in the oven:
Place the mason jars on the rack in the oven.
Fill a baking sheet two inches high with water and slide it onto the rail under the rack.
Heat the oven to 130 degrees until the water on the tray starts to boil.
Turn off the oven and let the jars cool in the oven for about 30 minutes.
When the jars have cooled, you can remove them from the oven, label them, and store them in a cool, dark, and dry place.
