Food storage hack: How to keep strawberries fresh and juicy

While it may seem easier to keep strawberries in the plastic container they were bought in, this traditional storage place can cause your berries to rot only within a few days.

Strawberries are a fruit that can spoil quickly due to their high water content, but if stored properly they can last for up to two weeks. However, if the conditions are not right they can begin to smell, go mushy, and will unfortunately grow mould.

Luckily, one no-waste expert has given a simple yet detailed guide on how to store strawberries the right way. Maria is an environmentalist who has become an expert on preventing food waste, and how to live a more sustainable life.

In a recent TikTok video, Maria explained the best way to keep strawberries fresher for much longer was to not store them in the store plastic container.

Maria said: “How to store your produce to prevent food waste and to stop throwing money in the trash. I don’t know about you, but storing strawberries in the plastic containers they come in, in the fridge makes mine mouldy within a couple of days. Now they last a couple of weeks.”

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Instead, Maria said that soaking strawberries in cold water and baking soda can help them last much longer, and then explained her storage method.

Strawberries usually go mouldy quickly due to bacteria stored up between them in their pre-packaged containers. Knowing how to wash them correctly will keep them preserved as well as remove dirt or traces of pesticides from them.

Maria said: “Cut the strawberry tops off for quick snacking and soak the berries in cold water and baking soda. I then give them a quick rinse and towel dry.”

However, the strawberries should not still be wet when going into the fridge as that can also cause bacteria to build up. Maria said: “If they are still a little wet going in the bowl then go ahead and add a paper towel.”

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Maria continued: “I then store them in an airtight glass container after I eat a few to get the lid closed. Now these strawberries will last a couple of weeks in my fridge if I don’t eat them first.”

In the comment section, Maria said that this effective storage method also works with vinegar. Add four parts water and then one part baking soda or vinegar to clean your strawberries fresher for longer.

Other people in the video comment section praised Maria for her storage advice.

One user said: “I started staring my strawberries in a jar and they now last forever.”

Another person wrote: “I have recently started prepping my produce as soon as I buy it, it’s a game changer! I save so much money.”

Someone else commented: “Thank you for your advice, Maria. I just had to throw out a pound of strawberries after keeping them in a plastic container and they grew mould."