Storing Berries

Since moving to Utah we had terrible luck with berries.  My boys love them, but no matter how quickly we tried to eat them, I was always throwing away at least a few each week.  About a year ago I started experimenting with different methods that were supposed to extend the life of berries, including storing them in open containers, wrapping them in damp paper towels, washing them in a vinegar/water rinse and letting them dry before storing them in open bowls.  None of these methods seemed to do a darn thing when it came to keeping my berries fresh.

I'm not even sure where I found this idea, but I haven't thrown out a berry since I did.  All I do is go thru my fresh berries and pick out any that are soft, overly juicy/ripe or moldy.  I toss any that aren't usable and then either freeze or make a smoothie out of the others.  Once I'm left with only good berries I transfer them to mason jars, I love quart sized jars for raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, but since I typically buy strawberries in 2lb containers I store them in glass canisters that I found at target for a couple bucks.  I love these canisters by the way and have begun storing almost all of my baking supplies in them as well as my laundry detergent and dish washing detergent.

Anyways, store them loosely, no need to squish them in, and when done pop them in the fridge.  That's it!  When you are ready to use just rinse as you normally would and you are good to go.  I love that I can buy my berries in bulk and not worry about wasting them, over the summer I had strawberries last 2 weeks!  The key to keeping them fresh is to keep them dry and limit their exposure to air, so as I get down to the last few strawberries and the jar begins to fill with condensation I transfer them over to a smaller jar.  It always makes me happy when I open my fridge and see my jars of berries, hope this helps you save a little money on produce!