Strawberries - the most delicate berry that pleases us in the summer.
It is not only tasty and fragrant, but also very healthy.
A lot of vitamins, necessary trace elements, and also a great way to cheer up. However, strawberries are a rather perishable product.
How to keep it at home?
Where and how long can I store strawberries at home?
So that it does not deteriorate and retains its useful properties, taste, appearance.
Where to store strawberries at home
Strawberry is about 80% liquid, which does not contribute to its long-term storage. It is easily wrinkled and deformed even with little impact. In addition, the berry due to its protruding seeds and pores may contain dust, particles of dirt that can cause rot. Therefore, the storage of strawberries should be treated very responsibly.
Before telling where to store strawberries at home, it should be noted where it is precisely CANNOT be stored:
- indoors at room temperature and above - the berry can quickly ferment or mold
- in non-enamelled metal containers - acids contained in strawberries can react with metal
- in tightly corked containers - evaporation of liquid from berries can lead to rapid growth of mold.
Where can strawberries be stored at home? The rules are as follows:
a) cool, ideally - in the refrigerator at a temperature not exceeding 6 degrees above zero
b) in plastic, glass or, in extreme cases, enameled containers
c) not tightly closed - it is best to cover the vessel with a cloth or paper to ensure air exchange.
This applies to storage in the normal department of the refrigerator. However, strawberries can be stored at home and in the freezer. The third option is to store strawberries with sugar. Options in the freezer and / or sprinkled with sugar are designed for longer storage of berries at home.
How to store strawberries at home
No matter how you decide to store strawberries at home, it must be prepared for storage. This applies to berries grown on their own beds, and those purchased from private individuals or in a store.
The preparation process is as follows:
- if you pick strawberries yourself, it’s best to do it when it's dry
- sort through all the berries one by one, inspecting from all sides
- even slightly spoiled strawberries need to be removed - not only will they spoil themselves, they will also “infect” the neighbors
mashed and damaged berries are also rejected - they can be eaten, cook jam, compote from them, put in a pie
- tails do not need to be torn off
- for storage we take berries of full maturity; overripe or immature are not good
- In no case should you wash your strawberries before storing them at home!
Next, we proceed depending on which storage method is selected.
If you want strawberries to last a few days, put it in a glass or plastic dish. Ideally, the berries do not touch each other. However, with significant volumes, this is unrealistic. Then it is necessary to shift the berries as carefully as possible so as not to damage or crush.
One of the great options for storing strawberries is a colander or sieve. Berries "breathe" through the pores. But large portions in such containers do not need to be put.
The dish with berries cannot be tightly closed, but you need to cover it. To do this, a lightweight cloth such as gauze, a kitchen linen napkin, a non-thick towel or a circle of paper is suitable.
One of the rules on how to store strawberries at home is to review the berries after a while. Excellent once a day or at least every other day. We carefully sort the berries, revealing spoiled, wrinkled, overripe. We remove them from the total mass.
If you decide to store the berries in a frozen form, then they must be laid out on a flat surface so that they do not touch each other. Then place in the freezer compartment. After an hour or two, the berries should completely freeze. They must be carefully transferred to a bag or plastic container and sent back to the freezer. The berry so frozen does not freeze into a single mass. If desired, you can take as much as you need.
However, such storage requires a certain place, because individually frozen berries, sprinkled together, have gaps between each other. If you plan to eat berries without preserving their integrity, for example, in jelly or for filling the pie, strawberries can be cut into pieces or mashed. Then freeze in necessary portions.
The third way to store strawberries at home is with sugar. To do this, properly prepared garden gifts must be carefully rinsed, dried on a napkin or towel and chopped. A blender, crush, just a spoon will do. Crumpled strawberries with sugar in a ratio of 1: 1.5. Arrange in clean containers, close, put in the refrigerator. If necessary, get and use as jam - all vitamins are stored here, as well as used in various dishes, drinks.
If you don’t need so much sugar, then reduce its quantity, but then it is better to remove strawberries in the freezer or use them in the coming weeks.
How much to store strawberries at home
An important question is not only where, how, but how much to store strawberries at home. Especially when you consider that strawberries are often intended for consumption by children who have a relatively weak gastrointestinal tract. It is very important that the berry is completely safe and maximum beneficial for their nutrition. For this, it must be taken into account that the shelf life of fresh strawberries is rather short.
How much to store strawberries at home is directly related to the storage temperature. At room temperature, preserving the berry for more than half a day is not worth it. And then, provided that all of it is of high quality and not damaged.
In the refrigerator, strawberries can be stored:
• at a temperature of 3 to 6 degrees above zero - for three days, subject to storage rules, namely: plastic or glassware, properly prepared strawberries, not tightly covered
• at a temperature of 0 to 2-3 degrees above zero - for five days, subject to all the rules for preparing and storing berries, as well as periodically inspecting them for damage and removal of rumpled, rotten, moldy, overripe specimens
• at a temperature below zero in a freezer - during the year, if the berry has been properly prepared, frozen and all storage conditions are observed, defrosting of the finished product is not allowed
• mashed berry, sprinkled with sugar in a ratio of 1: 1.5 in a closed container in an ordinary refrigerator - for one year, if the temperature is observed no more than 6 degrees above zero
• mashed berry, sprinkled with sugar in a 1: 1 ratio, in a closed container on the shelves of the refrigerator with a temperature of not more than 6 degrees above zero - for two to three months.
The golden rule of fresh strawberries is to purchase it in the amount that can be eaten per day.
The reason for this is the rapid deterioration of this product. If for some reason there are more berries than you need, you know where, how and how much you can store strawberries at home.
If you violate any storage rules, just do it - subject the berry to cooking, getting tasty jam, jam, compote. It is better not to risk your health and not to store berries longer than expected.
