Store Strawberries

Since fresh strawberries are only available for a short time during the summer, learning how to freeze and store them properly enables you to enjoy them all year long. There are a variety of ways to store strawberries, depending on whether you want to store them for a few days or a few months. If you want to know how to store strawberries, just follow these steps.

Steps

General Rules

  1. Do not wash the strawberries if you're storing them in the fridge. Strawberries are like sponges that soak up every bit of moisture, and the more water they soak up, the more quickly they'll spoil. If you wash the strawberries and then put them in the fridge, then they'll spoil much more quickly no matter what methods you use. You can wash them if you plan to store them in the freezer, but take care to get rid of excess moisture or they'll get too icy.
  2. Remove any moldy strawberries immediately. Mold spreads easily, so you should remove any moldy strawberries as soon as you buy them. If you store the fresh strawberries with the moldy ones, the mold will spread and they'll spoil quickly. One bad strawberry can spoil the whole batch. You can try to avoid this problem at the store by picking the freshest, brightest strawberries you see.
    • Place the strawberries on a clean surface and sort through them to find the moldy ones. Avoid touching them too much.
  3. Store the strawberries at room temperature if you'll eat them in a few hours. If you're planning to use the strawberries for a recipe in a few hours, or if you know you'll be eating them as a snack by the evening, you can store them at room temperature to retain their fresh taste.
  4. Don't store the strawberries in the plastic containers they came in. Though most store-bought strawberries are packaged in these containers, they aren't ideal for storage. Tupperware is far more durable. The plastic containers won't let in any air and will make the strawberries spoil faster.

Store Strawberries in the Fridge

  1. Store strawberries in an open Tupperware container. To store strawberries in Tupperware, simply remove them from their original container and place them in a large, open Tupperware container. Line the container with paper towels to absorb any excess moisture from the strawberries. Don't crowd the container; leave room so the strawberries comfortably fit. You may need to use several containers for all of the strawberries.
    • Don't seal the container -- let the strawberries air out instead of being trapped under a lid.
    • Place the open container in your refrigerator until you're ready to eat the strawberries.
  2. Store strawberries in a sealed Tupperware container. To store the strawberries in a closed Tupperware container, just hull them to remove their stems and ends. Then, place them in a big Tupperware container, with the cut-side down. Line them up so that they don't touch each other, in one row, to make them last longer. Then, seal the Tupperware container with a lid, and mark the container with the date they were stored.[1]
    • Place the container in the fridge and remove it when you're ready to eat the strawberries.
  3. Store strawberries on a baking tray. Hull the strawberries, removing their stems, and then place them face-down on a baking tray, so that the cut part of the strawberries is facing down. Don't let the strawberries touch to make them last even longer. Then, place the baking tray into the fridge to store the strawberries for several days.
  4. Store strawberries in a colander. A colander will allow the strawberries to breathe while they're being stored. To properly store the strawberries, just remove them from their containers and place them in the colander. Don't pack them together too tightly. Allow them to breathe instead.
    • Place the colander in the fridge and take it out when it's time to eat the strawberries.

Store Strawberries in the Freezer

  1. Store the strawberries using the cookie-sheet method. First, place the fresh strawberries on a single layer on a cookie sheet after removing their stems. Then, place the sheet into the freezer for a few hours until the strawberries are completely frozen. After that, just place the strawberries in a Tupperware container and seal it. You can store these strawberries in the freezer for up to six months.
    • You can store them in any airtight container, like a jar.
  2. Store the strawberries with simple syrup. To do this, simply make simple syrup by combining 4 cups of water with every 1 cup of sugar. Make sure that the sugar is dissolved and that the mixture is chilled before you use it. Then, place your whole berries in containers and cover them with the cold syrup, using 1/2-1/3 cups of syrup for each pint container.[2]
    • Seal the containers and freeze them.
    • When you're ready to eat the strawberries, thaw the jars in the fridge or at room temperature.
  3. Store the strawberries with sugar. Halve or slice the strawberries and place them into a bowl. For each quart of berries, sprinkle 1/2 cup of sugar over it. Stir the ingredients together until the sugar is dissolved. Then, pack the strawberries into a freezer container and seal it tightly to freeze them.[3]
  4. Store the strawberries in a zip-lock bag. To do this, simply wash and hull the strawberries and then slice each one in half. Place the strawberries in a bowl, and sprinkle some sugar on them (about 1 part sugar for every 6 parts strawberries). Stir them a bit to spread out the sugar and wait 5-10 minutes for the strawberries to absorb the sugar. Then, place them in a large zip-lock bag and store it in the freezer.[4]
  5. Store the strawberries as ice cubes. To do this, simply wash and hull your strawberries and put them in a blender along with a teaspoon of lemon juice. Blend them until the mixture is smooth and then pour the blended strawberries into ice cube trays. Place the trays into the freezer and enjoy these strawberries at a future date.

Tips

  • Shop at farmers markets or go to the strawberry farms. Your chances of getting good quality strawberries are better at these places than at the grocery store.
  • Add a teaspoon of sugar to each container when you freeze the strawberries, if you desire. This will add sweetness and produce a small quantity of syrup when thawed.
  • Wash the strawberries thoroughly when you thaw them and only immediately prior to use.
  • When choosing a batch of strawberries, it helps to smell them to test their freshness.

Warnings

  • A frozen strawberry will retain most of its flavor and nutritional value. However, it might not look very fresh after thawing out. The strawberries will most likely have darkened in color and may be softer than you remember when you purchased them. This is normal.
  • You can't always rely on color to choose your strawberries. Although strawberries will continue to deepen in color once they are picked, they do not continue to sweeten.

Things You'll Need

  • Ripe strawberries
  • Knife for slicing off green caps
  • Cookie sheet
  • Wax paper (optional)
  • Containers for long-term freezing
  • Permanent maker for labeling
  • Sugar (optional)

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.culicurious.com/how-to-store-strawberries/
  2. ↑ http://www.simplebites.net/four-simple-methods-for-freezing-strawberries/
  3. ↑ http://www.strawberry-recipes.com/freeze_strawberries.html
  4. ↑ http://www.simplycanning.com/how-to-freeze-strawberries.html
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