Strawberries are one of the tastiest and nutrient-dense fruits we can get today, but unfortunately we do not get these berries all through the year. Instead of waiting long to have these fruits, if you learn how to store strawberries you can enjoy your healthy smoothies, cakes, pies and puddings whenever you feel like. Storing strawberries becomes essential because the fruit has versatile uses and when you store them you are able to enjoy the antioxidant properties and freshness of these berries whenever you feel like. If you are not able to store them well, they won’t last long – so here is the right method of storing strawberries.

Refrigeration process: Selecting berries for storage: Choose all strawberries very carefully. Select berries which are slightly plump and deep red in color. You can know about the sweetness of the berry from its fragrance. Berries which smell good are certainly tastier. Check that there are no molds and bruises in the berries. Remember to check the cap of the strawberries very well – berries which have fresh green color cap are the best. – You should never take off this cap from the berry if you wish to store it for long.

Step one: When you bring home the berries from the supermarket wash all the berries thoroughly. However, be careful that you do not remove the cap of the berries.
Step two: If you find that there are bruised or soft berries you should discard them as soon as you can.
Step three: You can pick all the berries and place all of them in a colander. Colanders are recommended because they help in the circulation of cool air within the berries which helps the berries to last longer.
Step four: You can now place all the berries inside your refrigerator.

Freeze:

If you wish to use your berries after several months you will have to freeze them in the right way.

• To freeze berries, you should pick up those berries which are deep red in color. The fruit should also be quite firm.
• Wash all the berries and drain them well. You should not keep them soaked in water.
• Now, you will have to place each of these berries in a cookie sheet and let them freeze for around 24 hours.
• After 24 hours, you should remove the berries and put them in freezer containers or even freezer bags whichever you find convenient.

In case you are using berries with added sugar remember to pack them into the freezer with little head space between them. When you are completely ready to freeze these berries, you can use freeze them for days.

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