Treat properly after harvest
How you handle freshly harvested strawberries determines the further course of fault-free storage. Regardless of the preferred type of storage, the following premises apply for adequate preparation:
- Wash the strawberries preferably in standing water in a bowl and drain in a colander
- Pat the fruit dry with a kitchen towel
- then cut off the green sepals
- Sort out putrid or moldy specimens immediately
also read
- Can strawberries ripen?
- Wash strawberries gently - this will preserve the aroma
- Prick strawberries - this is how you do it professionally
As little pressure as possible should be exerted on strawberries during cleaning and grooming. Ideally, you would place each fruit on a tray, cut side down, rather than stacking them in the peel.
Store strawberries properly in the refrigerator
The refrigerator is primarily used for storage if the strawberries are to be consumed for the next 1 to 2 days. Avoid using an airtight plastic container, as the fruit will go moldy here. These alternatives have a positive effect on the shelf life:
- Line a large Tupperware box with kitchen paper
- Fill in the prepared strawberries as loosely as possible
- Put in the refrigerator without a lid at 2-6 degrees Celsius
- alternatively, place the cut side down on a baking sheet
Often, a lack of space in the refrigerator requires the stacking of freshness boxes. Spread the strawberries out in the Tupperware box so that they do not touch and then close the lid. If the remaining contents of the refrigerator can handle it, lower the temperature to 0-2 degrees Celsius. In this case the retention period is extended to 5 days.
Fresh from the bed in the freezer - that's how it works
After the harvest season, you can keep the strawberry pleasure in the freezer for up to 10 months. Thanks to the low freezing temperatures, the fruits are actually preserved here, as microbes have no chance. These approaches have proven effective:
- Put the cleaned fruits in a freezer bag, vacuum seal and freeze
- Pre-freeze the strawberries on the baking sheet, pack them in bags and put them in a storage compartment in the freezer
- Add sugar to the prepared fruits, puree and pour into ice cube trays
- to be taken individually after freezing for consumption
You can prevent the lack of mushy consistency after thawing by using dry ice to pre-freeze strawberries.
Tips & Tricks
Would you like to eat the strawberries harvested early in the morning on the same day? Then keep the fruits spread out on a tray at room temperature. Wash, clean and sweeten the delicious vitamin bombs just before consumption. In this way you ensure the ultimate strawberry enjoyment.
The garden journal freshness-ABC
How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh as long as possible?
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