We’ve been partaking in our fair share of this summer’s berry sales! We love berries and use them in lots of things, but it can be difficult to use them up before they get moldy. I frequently buy a bunch and freeze them for later use, but what if you want to use some fresh for a week or so?
Enter this tip that I learned from Cook’s Illustrated several years ago: you can actually kill the bacteria that causes mold to grow on your berries, and they’ll last much longer!
How do you do this?
Use a simple vinegar and water solution! Vinegar is famous for it’s germ- and smell-killing properties, and it’s cheap, too.
I simply put my berries in my salad spinner (or a colander insdie a bowl works, too), and fill it up with water and about 1 cup of vinegar. Let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse and spin to remove excess moisture (a bonus if you use the salad spinner).
Then, put them in a paper towel-lined container with the lid cracked and they’ll stay mold-free for a week or more!
Do they taste like vinegar?
I was skeptical when I first learned this tip. What if the berries end up tasting like vinegar?
Well, never fear – as long as you rinse the berries, there’s no vinegar smell or taste. The berries won’t actually absorb any of the vinegar, so a quick rinse takes care of any that might be left on the surface after draining them.
I don’t always do this anti-mold trick to my berries, but if I want to keep them for more than a few days, it’s worth the couple of minutes it takes to do this trick to keeping them mold-free.
Here’s some ideas for what to make with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries!
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$1.99 for Pantry Essentials (gallon) at Safeway
