We’ve all been there: You dig into a perfectly bright container of strawberries, only to pick off the top layer of perfect berries and see.wrinkly and spotty little fiends that don’t exactly look appetizing. Thankfully, one Facebook user has shared a hack for making those little strawberries look as good as new.
- Facebook user Brittany King shared this hack (though she noted we should actually be praising her friend Lilly!) that only involves a bucket of ice water.
- You’re probably pretty familiar with this trick that can revive things like wilted greens, but it turns out it works with wilted strawberries too.
All you have to do is pop these “sad” strawberries into a bucket of ice water for 20 minutes and boom! They’re back to being bright red and perfectly juicy again. As Totallythebomb.com noted, this isn’t going to work with strawberries that have actually gone bad (please don’t pop moldy strawberries into an ice bath and eat them!!!) but if they have a few imperfections, this should do the trick. News Editor Kristin Salaky is the news editor at Delish.com covering viral foods, product launches, and food trends. Before joining Delish, she worked as an editor at insider.com and as the front page editor for talkingpointsmemo.com. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Ohio University in 2015.
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How do I refresh strawberries?
Trending photos on Facebook suggest that an ice bath can completely revive mushy, blemished strawberries. Updated on September 12, 2022 It’s amazing what a little ice water can do for fruits, veggies, and flowers, In a food prep hack, photos by Facebook user Brittany King showed how an ice bath can bring your mushy, bruised strawberries “back to life.” The before and after images show the amazing transformation of formerly sad-looking strawberries appearing good as new. Before the ice bath. After the ice bath. Before the ice bath. PHOTO: Colleen Weeden After the ice bath. PHOTO: Colleen Weeden All you have to do is drop your “kind of sad” bruised strawberries into a bowl of ice water for approximately 20 minutes. According to our Test Kitchen’s trial, the strawberries appear more vibrant in color than before.
As for the texture, they were still soft. So while this trick might make your berry a little brighter, there’s not much difference in the texture after sitting in water. It won’t hurt to give them a little more life, so go ahead and give this one a shot if your carton looks lackluster. Fresh strawberries are highly perishable, so don’t try reviving moldy fruit using this strawberry hack.
If they’ve got mold, they’re too far gone. We didn’t test other berries but suspect blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries would also likely benefit from this treatment. Strawberry season is right around the corner. Use these tips for making the most of your strawberry haul.
When purchasing or picking berries, they should be firm but not crunchy. Unlike apples or bananas, strawberries don’t ripen after they are harvested. Avoid bruised or shriveled berries or berries that look dull. Berries with a bright red surface will have maximum sweetness and flavor. Store strawberries in the fridge’s crisper drawer as soon as you get home and plan on consuming them within 3 to 4 days. Keep in the container they came in or a produce keeper ($23, Bed Bath & Beyond) To help berries retain flavor, texture, and nutrients, avoid washing or removing their caps until ready for use. Yes, you should always wash your fruit ! Strawberry flavor is at its best at room temperature. Remove the berries from the refrigerator an hour or two before serving.
Keep in mind that the shelf-life of your juicy berries depends on how ripe the fruit is when purchased or picked. Enjoy them asap for the best quality. If you don’t think you’ll be able to eat them before they go bad, put them to delicious use in a berry-filled sweet such as strawberry shortcakes or easy strawberry jam.
How do you rehydrate strawberries?
How to use – Dehydrated strawberries can be eaten right from the bag as a snack! Or, to rehydrate dried strawberries, cover them in boiling water for 15-20 minutes. Here are a few ways to use your strawberries:
Add to granola or oatmealUse dried or rehydrated strawberries to top a yogurt parfaitInclude it in a DIY trail mix Rehydrate and simmer with some sugar to create a jammy compote for pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, or ice creamTurn them into powder to add to yogurt, cake or cupcake batter, ice cream, smoothies, cream cheese, and more!Use them in these backpacking/camping meals:
Strawberries & Cream Backpacking Porridge Chocolate Coconut Granola Stuffed French Toast
Why are my strawberries turning brown and drying up?
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Although it’s common to find strawberries in the garden that have turned brown, soft or fuzzy with gray mold, proper watering and yearly renovation can help stem the problem. Strawberries can suffer from a disease called gray mold, also known as Botrytis fruit rot.
The berries start showing symptoms when they flower. The petals and flowering stems turn brown and the entire blossom may die. On the strawberry fruit, symptoms may occur on any portion and frequently develop at the stem. The tissue turns light to medium brown. Lesions in younger, green or white fruit develop slowly.
The fruit may be misshapen as it enlarges. Fruit rot expands rapidly near harvest time, when the berries are turning red. In advanced stages, the fungus produces a gray mold over the fruit surface. Sometimes, rot may not develop until after the fruit is picked.
To keep gray mold in check or at least prevent it from getting worse, Oregon State University Extension plant pathologist Jay Pscheidt and berry specialist Bernadine Strik offer several strategies. Space plants so they dry rapidly after rain and irrigation. Don’t water from above. Drip irrigation is best.
During the growing season, strawberry plants need about one inch of water a week. On sites with sandy soils or during very hot weather, plants may need more water. Wet the soil to a depth of six to eight inches with each irrigation. Avoid applying so much water that the soil remains saturated for long periods.
Standing water is harmful, even for a day or two. Pick your berries every few days, especially during wet and warmer periods. Refrigerate ripe berries as soon as possible after harvest while removing and composting diseased ones. Fertilize established strawberries in late summer to keep them vigorous and best able to withstand disease and to promote fall growth.
Spring fertilization results in excessive leaf growth and runner formation and doesn’t promote more or larger berries. After harvest season, apply two to three pounds of 10-10-10 (or equivalent well-balanced fertilizer) per 100 square feet of row. Foliage should be dry when you apply the fertilizer.
- You can maintain June-bearing strawberry plants for several fruiting seasons if you manage and renovate them after harvest.
- In Oregon, to avoid spreading gray mold to next year’s June-bearing strawberries, renovate a June-bearing strawberry patch two to four weeks after the last harvest.
- Ever-bearing plants don’t need to be renovated.
To renovate and stimulate next year’s growth in June-bearers, remove the old leaves with a hedge clipper or mower after fruiting, being careful not to damage the crown. Do not remove old leaves on day-neutrals or ever bearers. At the end of the season, remove all plantings that are no longer productive or lack vigor. Want to learn more about this topic? Explore more resources from OSU Extension: Berries and fruit, Plant diseases
Can you leave strawberries in water?
How to Store Fresh Strawberries I grow a few strawberry plants every year, and the best berries of the season are usually those picked in the yard and eaten as I survey the garden, anticipating a summer of luscious, homegrown crops. Growing strawberries at home is a pleasure I wouldn’t give up, but with “U-Pick-‘Em” fields and the farmers’ market offering the succulent, crimson berry for the next few weeks, the select strawberries from my yard will be overshadowed by gallons and gallons of sourced berries to be cooked into jam, churned into ice cream, served in smoothies and desserts or, best of all, eaten fresh by the fistful.
- Fresh strawberries are an unparalleled spring delight, but all too fleeting.
- Picking more than you can eat this season? Whether you intend to eat them today or six months from now, knowing how to store strawberries will ensure you get the best flavor without losing a single berry to a notoriously short shelf life.
Fresh strawberries can go directly into the refrigerator, but will do just fine on the counter for a couple of days. Remove any bruised or otherwise marred berries and place the rest in a colander or open-weave basket to allow good airflow. Stems should be left intact until the berry is ready to be eaten to protect the mold-prone, wet flesh inside from exposure.
- While it is tempting to wash strawberries as soon as you get them home, resist the urge.
- Strawberries will soak up the water, making them more susceptible to spoilage.
- Even with careful handling, strawberries won’t last longer than a few days without refrigeration.
- Moisture is an enemy of the fresh strawberry.
The inclination may be to store them in airtight containers, but strawberries will rot more quickly when the moisture is trapped inside. Even the plastic containers in which many grocery store strawberries are packed are a bad choice for refrigerator storage.
Instead, immediately pack strawberries loosely in an open container or wide pan lined with paper towels to help wick water away from the delicate berries. Colanders are perfect for strawberry storage, allowing air to circulate freely. Unlike whole berries, once strawberries have been cut or hulled, they should be stored in an airtight container to protect the exposed flesh from mold and bacterial development, significantly reducing shelf life.
Strawberry season only lasts a few weeks, and there’s a reason it’s so hotly anticipated. Fresh strawberries picked just a week ago are already past their prime, but that doesn’t mean you can’t continue to enjoy this year’s haul well beyond the expiration date.
- Dry-freezing strawberries will retain much of the flavor and some texture for up to six months and can be stored for as long as a year (with some loss of quality).
- Strawberries canned or frozen in syrup keep some flavor, but will be soft and are best used in baking or stirred into yogurt or oatmeal.
- Then, of course, there’s strawberry jam.
Freezing comes closest to retaining the qualities of fresh-picked strawberries. Other tactics for long-term storage have their appeal as well, but no preservation method can truly retain the vibrant flavor and firm texture of freshly harvested strawberries.
Why are my strawberries wilting?
2. Low temperatures cause strawberries to wilt – Cold temperatures prevent the free flow of water through a strawberry plants vascular system. As with drought above, this results in insufficient water passage through the plant, the loss of turgidity, and the loss of rigidity. The plants will droop when the weather gets too cold to maintain proper cellular function.
What to do with shriveled strawberries?
Frozen – Not quite ready to turn your mushy strawberries into dessert ? Instead of tossing them, keep them in the freezer and you’ll have a great mix-in the next time you’re making a smoothie or ice cream. Or purée them into sauce and freeze that. You can even portion it out, using an ice cube tray, to use for salad dressing, meat marinades, and quick desserts anytime you want. 