Last week, I picked up some gorgeous, plump strawberries from the farmer's market. I left them sitting on the counter and by the next day almost the entire container had shriveled and turned moldy.
Boo. That was $5 down the drain.
Then I remembered, all too late, a trick that I had read in a magazine (can't recall which one) that would keep the strawberries from getting icky. I picked up another basket of strawberries to test the trick and it worked.
Take your fresh strawberries and put them in a large bowl. Run some cold water over top of them.
For every 2 cups of water, stir in 1/4 cup vinegar. You can use distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. The anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties of the vinegar will kill all the mold spores and bacteria on the strawberries. I promise you will not taste the vinegar on the strawberries!
Swish the strawberries around in the vinegar/water solution and let them soak for 5 minutes or so. Drain, give the strawberries a little rinse, and then place them on a towel-lined cookie sheet to dry. Once the strawberries are dry, store them in an open container in the fridge. Mine have lasted a week and could possibly go longer, but I eat mine before the week is up. You could also cap the strawberries, leave them on the cookie sheet, pop in the freezer overnight, and then transfer the individually frozen strawberries to a freezer bag. Use the frozen strawberries in a fruit ice cream or smoothie.
Enjoy!
