How To Pack Strawberries For Lunch

5 Tips for Keeping Fruits Fresh in your Kid’s Lunchbox It’s no secret that fruits are very important in kid’s overall development but it is always such a hassle to carry them in kid’s lunch box. Often they come back home with uneaten fruit in their lunchboxes mainly because they don’t want to eat it. It’s more likely because by lunchtime, that fruit is a gooey mess.

However we must take care to cut and pack the fruits and vegetables in such a way that the nutrient loss is minimal.
Here are few tips to pack fruits in kid’s lunchbox: Tip No.1: Wrap fruit in cloth Round fruit like apples, peaches or pears and wrap them in a dry cloth.
Make sure to tie the top of the cloth with a knot so your fruit does not go rolling around in your lunch bag.

Tip No.2: Keep apple slices crisp Soak your slices in a solution of two cups of cold water and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt for five minutes. Then drain and pack in an airtight container and you’re good to go. Tip No.3: Keep strawberries fresh The best way to transport strawberries is to leave them washed and whole.

This way, the strawberry can stay fresh longer.
Tip No.4: Kiwi Pop-ups Peel kiwi, cut into thick slices, insert a popsicle stick or lollipop stick into one end, and freeze on a tray or plate.
You’ll get about 3-4 pops per kiwi.
It will be easier to send Kiwi popsicle to school than just slice kiwis Tip No.5: Prevent bananas from browning Banana is a very common and nutritious fruit.

Most of the time when we send banana in lunch box it becomes brown. A way to save your bananas is to add plastic wrap to the stem. This will prevent it from getting ripe way too quickly. Throw it in your kid’s lunchbox and you are all set. Here are some great ideas for lunchbox which are rich in and,

Contents

- 0.0.1 Can you put strawberries in a lunch box?
- 0.0.2 How do you keep fruit fresh for packed lunch?
0.1 How do you pack strawberries for a picnic?

1 Can you pre prep strawberries?
2 How do you keep strawberries fresh in a Ziploc bag?
3 How far in advance can you prep strawberries?
- - 3.0.1 Do strawberries stay fresh in a container?

Can you put strawberries in a lunch box?

Easy Ways to Pack Soft Fruits for School: 9 Steps (with Pictures)

1 Roll whole fruit in cloth napkins to prevent bruising. Rinse off fruits with edible peels, like peaches and plums, and dry them thoroughly before wrapping and stowing them in your lunch box or bag. Roll up fruits with removable peels, like bananas and citrus fruits, without any preparation at all. The layers of fabric around the fruit create a cushioned pouch to prevent bruising and keep the fruit clean.
- If you don’t dry off rinsed fruit before rolling it up, the extra moisture can make the fruit mushy and unpleasant.
- Wrap multiple pieces of fruit separately for the most protection. For example, don’t roll a banana and a peach together in the same cloth napkin.
- If you aren’t using a lunch box or bag, pack the rolled fruit in your backpack last so that it sits on top of everything else and won’t get smashed.
2 Wash grapes and berries before packing them in plastic containers. Rinse off grapes and berries and dry them thoroughly with a paper towel. Place the clean fruit in plastic containers to protect it in your bag or lunch box. Without a hard casing for protection, berries and grapes can get mushy and create a big, juicy mess inside your lunch box or backpack.
- You can chop the green stems off strawberries or leave them on. Grapes can be packed individually or in clusters.
- Bite-sized grapes and berries are great soft fruit options for kids’ lunches because they’re easy to eat.
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3 Place small fruits into sectioned lunch boxes or bento boxes. Rigid lunch boxes with separate compartments and bento boxes work great for smaller fruits because the rigid compartments keep the fruit separate and protected. This works best for small fruits like grapes, strawberries, and blueberries.
- Bigger soft fruits, like peaches and plums, won’t fit nicely into compartments unless you cut them up first.
4 Use an insulated lunch box to keep whole fruits cool. Many fruits, like whole bananas, don’t need to be kept cool. However, grapes, berries, peaches, and plums are often tastier when they’re cold! Use an insulated lunch box or put an ice pack into your lunch box to keep everything chilled.
- For example, nestle a peach or plum wrapped in a cloth napkin inside your insulated lunch box. Keep whole grapes or berries stored in plastic containers chilled by using an insulated lunch box or bag.

1 Peel and section citrus fruits before packing them in plastic containers. Peeling oranges at school can be annoying, time-consuming, and messy! Skip the mess and save some time by peeling and sectioning the fruit before you pack it. Place the slices in a small plastic container with a lid to prevent spillage since oranges can be pretty juicy.
- You can leave the citrus fruit intact, but it’s easier to fit into your lunch if you section it into individual slices.
2 Chop fruit into bite-sized pieces and pack them in plastic containers. Biting into a whole peach or plum can definitely be messy. It can help to slice bigger fruits into smaller, more manageable pieces for your lunch. To prevent sogginess and protect cut fruit, place it in a small plastic container before packing it in an insulated lunch box.
- Try cutting mangoes, pineapples, kiwi, and pears into bite-sized pieces.
3 Pack fruit purees in rigid plastic containers with lids. Consider mashing up soft fruits, like bananas, with a fork. Then, store the puree in a small plastic container in your lunch box. You can also try other fruit purees, like store-bought or homemade applesauce.
- Try mixing low-fat cream cheese or bite-sized pieces of soft fruits into fruit puree to change up the flavor and texture.
- Don’t forget to pack a spoon so you can eat the puree!
4 Pack store-bought single serving portions for an easy option. You can buy pre-packed portions of applesauce, as well as small containers of sliced peaches, pineapples, and pears, at any grocery store. Simply toss the single serving container into your lunch and go! The containers are rigid and will protect the fruit inside.
- Be sure to pack a plastic spoon or fork so you can eat the fruit.
- For the healthiest option, choose sliced peaches, pineapples, and pears that are packed in water or their own juices with no sugar added. Avoid fruit packed in syrup.
5 Pack sliced and pureed fruit in an insulated lunch box to keep it fresh. An insulated lunch box or bento box is the best choice for cut or mashed fruit since it keeps it cool and fresh. If you don’t have an insulated lunch box, you can try nestling an ice pack in your lunch box instead.

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Cloth napkins
Insulated lunch box or bento box
Plastic containers with lids
Knife
Plastic spoons and forks

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer,, Amber Crain has been a member of wikiHow’s writing staff for the last six years. She graduated from the University of Houston where she majored in Classical Studies and minored in Painting. Before coming to wikiHow, she worked in a variety of industries including marketing, education, and music journalism.

Co-authors: 4
Updated: January 22, 2020
Views: 10,536

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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 10,536 times. : Easy Ways to Pack Soft Fruits for School: 9 Steps (with Pictures)

How do you keep fruit fresh for packed lunch?

Soaking – There is another way you can use water to keep chopped fruit fresh without having to carry a container filled with it. You can add certain ingredients to the water which will soak into the fruit and preserve it for a longer time once removed.

There are three different options for soaking chopped fruit: honey, lemon and lime, Stirring just two tablespoons of honey into a bowl of water and then soaking chopped fruit for thirty seconds will keep it fresh for up to 8 hours. This is great for speedy morning lunch prep as you won’t need to worry about safely storing the water in your bag or cutting the slices small enough to submerge.

Honey works because it contains a peptide compound that combats the enzyme polyphenol oxidase, which reacts with oxygen causing the fruit to brown during oxidation. Lemons and limes work in a similar way, in that their acidity keeps the fruit fresh. The key component for this to work is the absorptive acid, vitamin C.

Where the honey acts as a barrier, lemons and limes work more like a decoy.
The oxygen reacts with the acid first, giving the polyphenol oxidase found in the fruit more time before oxidation.
This also means that, once the vitamin C has been used up, normal browning will take place.
Both methods work fine but some people have reported an added and unwanted taste left by lemons and limes.

Considering this, and it’s speedy application, a honey soak might be the ideal way to keep chopped fruit fresh for work.

How do you pack strawberries for a picnic?

August 8, 2016 at 5:20pm PM EDT I am a huge fan of stone fruit, bananas and strawberries, but it is always such a hassle to carry them in my lunch bag. And it’s hard for kids too. When they come back home with uneaten fruit in their lunchboxes (argh!) it’s usually because they don’t want to eat it. Related story Cranberries Aren’t Just Festive — They’re Good for You Too Luckily for you, we have the perfect tricks so your fruits won’t get mushed and squashed in transport. We even threw in some tricks that will help prevent browning. Try out these tricks and you and your kids will come home with empty lunchboxes every afternoon.

More: 12 creative thermos lunch ideas besides the same old soup Trick No.1: Wrap fruit in cloth You can take stone fruit or any round fruit like apples, peaches or pears and wrap them in a dry cloth.
Make sure to tie the top of the cloth with a knot so your fruit does not go rolling around in your lunch bag and you’re all set.

When lunchtime rolls around, you’ll have unbruised and delicious fruit. Trick No.2: Save your bananas from premature browning I love bananas, but taking them to work is always a pain. By the time lunchtime swings around and I go in my bag for my banana, it is way browner than it was when I originally left the house.

A way to save your bananas is to add plastic wrap to the stem. This will prevent it from getting ripe way too quickly. Throw it in your or your kid’s lunchbox and go on about your day. You can also cut bananas in half (with the skin on) freeze them and put the in an airtight dish before you leave the house.

Trick No.3: Keep apple slices crisp I like apple slices with almond butter, and it’s so much easier to cut them at home with a real knife than the plastic ones at work. But the problem with cutting apples beforehand is that they end up getting brown and gross.

Here’s what to do: Soak your slices in a solution of two cups of cold water and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt for five minutes.
Then drain and pack in an airtight container and you’re good to go.
Now you’ll have fresh, crisp fruit for lunch or an afternoon snack.
More: Nontoxic lunch containers so cool you’ll want to steal them from your kids Trick No.4: Freeze your fruit in an airtight bag Grab a few apricots, peaches or stone fruits that are a few days from being ripe, slice and freeze.

It makes packing fruit so much easier. Just place five or six slices in a zip-close bag, being careful to press out all the extra air before freezing overnight. By the time you’re ready to eat your fruit the next day, it won’t be mush and it’ll have the perfect texture.

Trick No.5: Keep strawberries fresh Ever put your cut strawberries into a Tupperware container and by the time you’re ready to eat them, they’re all mushy? It’s happened to the best of us. The best way to transport strawberries is to leave them washed and whole. This way, the strawberry can stay fresh longer.

More: 10 fun lunch ideas that don’t involve sandwiches Image: Tiffany Egbert/SheKnows Leave a comment Sign Up

How do you keep fruit from browning in a lunch box?

Mix 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt into 1 cup of cool water until dissolved. Add your sliced apples and soak for about 10 minutes. Drain the apples and store in an airtight container for up to a week. If you’re packing the apples in a lunch box right away, give them a rinse under cool water.

How do you keep fruit cold for kids lunch?

Insulated food storage containers are the best containers for ensuring soup and chili stay warm. They’re also the best for keeping food like fruit, yogurt and applesauce cold and at a safe temperature. Shop insulated food containers that are all free from BPA, phthalates, and lead.

Is it OK to cut up strawberries the day before?

How to Store Cut Strawberries – If pre-cutting your strawberries before storing them is more convenient, you can use any of the above storing methods to keep cut strawberries fresh. You can also wrap them tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Just know that once strawberries are washed and cut, they will deteriorate more quickly than whole, unwashed berries, and generally only last three to four days in the refrigerator.

How do you pack strawberries?

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.

Can you pre prep strawberries?

Instructions –

When you bring your strawberries home in either a closed plastic clamshell container or you’ve picked berries from a strawberry plant, place strawberries in a large bowl filled with cold water (not warm water!). Let the strawberries sit in the water for 2 minutes. It’s a good idea to gently use your hand to move the berries around and help any dirt to get removed.
Pour the bowl of fresh fruits into a large colander and rinse with cool water.
Place a towel on your counter and lay the berries in a single layer on the towel. Now the important part – let them sit out for 2-3 hours to fully dry. If put the strawberries back in their original container, or straight into the fridge they’ll go moldy quickly.
After a few hours, you’ll want to take the whole berries and cut off the tops along with any signs of spoilage – look for soft spots and get rid of those, they will contaminate the whole bunch! Pre-cut the strawberries to the size you’d like.
Take a paper towel and lay it on the bottom of your shallow container. Add a single layer of the prepped strawberries, and if it’s a larger glass container, add another paper towel between layers.
Add your lid to make the container air tight, and store it in the fridge!

If you try my method for prepping and storing fresh strawberries, I’d love it if you left a star rating and comment below letting me know how it goes for you! XO Heather

How do you keep strawberries fresh in a Ziploc bag?

Methods of Freezing Strawberries – When frozen properly, you can maintain most of the nutrition and flavor from your fresh strawberries. They can be frozen whole or sliced, with or without sugar. Be sure to wash and dry your berries before beginning your freezing process.

For whole berries: Freeze the berries in a single layer on a baking sheet to keep them from getting stuck together.
Once they’re solid, transfer the berries to a container, such as FreezerWare™, or a zip freezer bag such as Glad® Freezer Zipper Gallon Bags,
For sliced berries: Remove the stems and halve or slice your berries into a bowl.

For each quart of berries, mix in ½ cup of sugar and gently stir until the sugar is dissolved. Transfer your mixture into a freezer container, such as FreezerWare™, seal tightly and freeze. Keep in mind that after freezing and thawing your strawberries, they will be much softer and the color may be darker.

How far in advance can you prep strawberries?

The Best Way to Store Cut Strawberries – Strawberries should be stored in the refrigerator at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (ideally 32 degrees F) and the optimal humidity for berry storage should stay between 90 to 95 percent, per Colorado State University,

Cut or sliced strawberries should be covered and kept in the fridge if they are not eaten within two hours of preparation. (This also holds true if you cut up strawberries with sugar, like if you’re cutting strawberries for a strawberry shortcake or simply want to have sliced strawberries on hand.) Uncut fruit should be kept in the crisper drawer in the refrigerator preferably in a closed plastic container or in a partially opened plastic bag.

Unwashed strawberries can be kept in the fridge for not more than a week, although you’ll probably want to eat them within a few days.

Do strawberries stay fresh in a container?

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.

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.

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.

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.