Content
- Store berries properly and enjoy for longer
- Harvest late and wash at the right time
- Make firm berries with a vinegar bath more durable
- Freeze berries for longer storage
- Tips
Frozen, berries are the longest-lasting
Store berries properly and enjoy for longer
Fresh berries from the own garden are a summery delight, with which purchased fruits can only rarely keep up. If some basic rules are observed during storage, the unfortunately very short shelf life can sometimes be extended by valuable days.
Harvest late and wash at the right time
Most berries are generally storable only for a very short time after harvesting. So if you do not want to eat or freeze the harvested berries right away, you may want to pick the berries from the shrubs all at the same time during the harvest season. Of course, berries can also spoil or dry up on the shrub, but as a rule you will keep better on the shrub than in the harvest basket on the kitchen counter. At room temperature, berries stacked on top of each other can mold within a day; in the fridge, strawberries, raspberries or blackberries usually last for about two to three days. While tighter berry varieties can be washed before moving to the refrigerator, the delicate raspberries should always be washed just before consumption.
Make firm berries with a vinegar bath more durable
Berries of a slightly firmer consistency can be preserved for longer with a simple trick. This is u. a. for the following berry varieties:
The berries are simply added to a bowl, which was filled with a portion of light vinegar and three parts of lukewarm water. In this non-toxic cleansing solution, gently agitate the berries for a few minutes before releasing them from any vinegar in several gentle rinses of clear water. This wash removes the mold spores that adhere to the berries in the garden before harvesting. After washing, the berries are gently dried on kitchen paper and then placed as possible single-layered on a laid down with kitchen paper plate or in a dish for storage. When storing in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, the laid kitchen paper should be regularly checked for moisture and replaced if necessary.
Freeze berries for longer storage
If larger amounts of fresh berries can not be consumed or overcooked quickly after washing, freezing can save the fruity treasure from the garden from ruin. In particular, small berries such as red currants are ideally first spread on a flat surface and then transferred to the container after freezing. Thus, clumping of berries during freezing can be partially avoided.
Tips
If you expect a higher harvest of fresh berries, you should get good prescriptions and materials for making jams and jellies. These stay fresh longer than the fresh berries and are a great gift for friends and visitors in the garden.