Fresh produce is a great choice for flavor and nutrition — but it tends to go bad quickly. And of all the fruits and vegetables at the grocery store, none grows mold faster than fresh berries.
Luckily, Redditors on r/Frugal offer several solutions.
The scoop
The r/Frugal subreddit exists for users to share money-saving tips — including hacks to minimize food waste. One user recently posted to ask, "How do you prevent strawberries from growing mold fast?"
"You need to wash fruit as soon as you get it home," says the most popular reply. "I have a big bowl that I fill with cool water, add in some distilled white vinegar, dump the strawberries in, and let them soak while I put the groceries away (usually less than 5 minutes)."
The commenter then recommends swishing the strawberries for under a minute, dumping the dirty water, and laying the berries out in a single layer to dry. After they're completely dry, put them in a freshly washed container. "They'll last MUCH longer this way."
How it's helping
Protecting berries and other fresh produce from mold is a great way to save money, since you won't have to throw food away as often and will get to eat everything you buy. It's also a smart choice for the environment because all the food you buy at the grocery store has to be shipped there on trucks and trains. These vehicles burn fuel, putting heat-trapping gases into the air. So reducing the amount of food being shipped helps slow the rising temperatures across the globe.
What everyone's saying
Other users shared additional tricks.
"All berries do well in a glass jar," says one. "I've had strawberries last a couple weeks."
Others agree with the suggestion of an airtight glass container.
Another user suggests skipping the vinegar. "If the strawberries have any cuts or bruises, soaking those in vinegar makes them taste like vinegar. I recommend using citric acid instead (buy food grade citric acid and dilute the powder in water) if you do this a lot. It doesn't affect the taste of the strawberries for the most part, and if it does, it just gets a little extra tart."
Other recommendations were to preslice the berries to encourage the OP to eat them before they can go bad or to freeze them if they're going to be cooked or used in smoothies.
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