How to keep strawberries for the winter in the fridge

Strawberries - berries are very tasty and healthy, but, unfortunately, seasonal. In addition, the berries are delicate, and even the slightest damage leads to very rapid deterioration. Therefore, many housewives are interested in how to keep strawberries for the longest possible time.

Selection of berries for storage

How to store strawberries? You need to start with a careful selection of berries. Otherwise, even creating optimal conditions for them, it is impossible to count on any long-term storage.

The best option is to cook freshly picked strawberries for storage. Berries should be evenly red, without white spots, but not yet soft. Collect only in dry weather. Wait until the dew is completely dry.

In the case of the purchase of strawberries, note the following:

• Soft, dark berries, as well as with a brown or falling fruit stem, will not be suitable for storage.
• The package should not be pieces of pulp.
• The characteristic smell is clearly felt at a distance of 30–35 cm from the berries. Too strong flavor - evidence of the beginning of the process of decay.

Storage preparation

How to store strawberries? Start with the proper preparation.

1. Be sure to carefully sort out the berries. All soft, deformed, with the slightest traces of mold and rot mercilessly throw out. In the latter case, often just cut off the damaged place, but this is completely inadequate. Spores of the fungus spread very quickly. Although you do not see it, the whole berry is already infected.
2. Equally important is choosing the right packaging. To store fresh strawberries need ventilation. Therefore, the best option - cardboard, wooden containers or paper bags. Plastic and polyethylene are undesirable. Even with openings for ventilation in such a container, condensation is inevitable.
3. Do not wash the strawberries before storing. Do this just before eating. The only exception is the case if there were a lot of spoiled berries in the lot. In this case, use water with vinegar (glass per liter of water) and carefully dry the strawberries on napkins or paper towels. Berries process with a solution of the spray.

Storage at room temperature

How to keep strawberries fresh? Not all berries are suitable for this. Quite a little (2-3 hours) lay strawberries, collected immediately after the rain.

But in any case, strawberries lie at room temperature, especially if it is hot outside, no more than 5-7 hours. Therefore, it is advisable to store it in such a way only if you are sure that you will eat or use berries during the day in order not to spoil the taste.

How best to store strawberries? As much as possible to extend the shelf life can be, if you pick berries for 2-3 days before they ripen completely. They should be evenly pink, dense, fleshy. In no case do not tear off the stem, then the berries will survive in 3-4 days. The room where they are stored must be dark.

In a refrigerator

The most common option is to store strawberries in the fridge.

• Most modern models are equipped special boxes for vegetables and fruits, where the optimum temperature for fruits is maintained (4–6 ° C). In such conditions, the berries lie for 3-5 days.
• If you remove them on the shelf, as close as possible to the freezer, where the temperature is about 2 º C, the period can be extended for another 1-2 days.
• Berry spread the stalks down in a single layer on a dish, tray or cutting board, previously lined the surface with napkins. It is desirable that the strawberries do not lie close to each other. Cover them with a napkin or a thin cloth too to absorb excess moisture. Another suitable option is an ordinary colander that provides sufficient air flow.
• Do not store them in plastic containers, glass jars, do not cover with cling film.

Storage in the freezer

A freezer is also suitable. In it, the berries will lie for 10–12 months, if the storage temperature of strawberries is 15–20 ° C below zero.

You also need to be able to defrost the berries correctly: put a container with them in the fridge and eat strawberries until ice crystals melt completely. Do not use the microwave or hot water for defrosting.

1. Storage of whole berries. Best for quick freeze refrigerators. Wash berries, dry, lay out on chopping boards or trays and send to the freezer. After 5–7 minutes, arrange in special bags with a sealed clasp or plastic containers with lids. Portions should be small to use at one time. It is strongly not recommended to re-freeze strawberries.

   

   wash strawberries

   

   dry the strawberries

   
   

   

   spread out strawberries on the bed before being sent to the freezer

   

   pack frozen strawberries into packets

   
   
2. Pieces. Slice the strawberries, add sugar equal to it by weight and wait until it is completely dissolved. Or pour the pieces with chilled syrup (a glass of sugar per liter of water).
3. Freeze mashed potatoes. In this form, the berries take up much less space. Crush them in a blender and arrange in plastic containers. Also fit ice molds. You can add sugar in a 1: 1 ratio.

Another option is freezing in pectin syrup. But the shelf life in this case will be halved. Pieces of berries filled with cooked according to the instructions cooled syrup.

Popular ways to freeze strawberries - video

Preservation

How to store strawberries? The most popular is conservation. Of course, if you preserve the strawberries by boiling jam, jam, compote, jellies and so on, the amount of nutrients in it will be significantly reduced. But there are other options that allow you to save the benefit and taste.

• Conservation in sugar syrup. Blanch 1 kg of strawberries for 30–45 seconds in portions in boiling water and immediately place them in sterilized jars, pouring 0.5 kg of sugar and 750 ml of water with boiling syrup.
• Conservation in pectin syrup. Pectin is quite difficult to purchase. This is not the most common product on the shelves. Pure washed and dried berries Spread on cans and pour boiled syrup cooled to room temperature, cooked according to the manufacturer's instructions, which is given on the package. Pectin is not such a good conservative, like sugar, therefore berries can be stored for a maximum of 2-3 months. But the taste - like fresh.
• Natural strawberries. Wash berries, dry and loosely decompose into clean cans, sprinkled with citric acid on top or powdered aspirin tablets. One liter jar will require one tablet or 0.5 teaspoon of citric acid. Fill the banks to the brim with clean drinking water (not boiled, not from the tap and not mineral), defended for at least 6 hours. Roll up the jar, shake it a few times and turn it upside down. In this position, leave it for 7–8 hours, turning over and shaking once an hour.
• Strawberry sterilized. Loosely put berries in jars, cover with boiling water and cover with sterilized lids. In a large container, boil water, put a towel on the bottom, put the jars and sterilize them for 7–10 minutes (if the volume of the container is 0.5 liters) or 12–15 minutes (for 1 liter). The water in the tank should reach almost the neck of the jar.
• Strawberries, covered with sugar. Berries are washed, dried, filled a jar with a hill, pouring sugar over strawberries (one liter jar will require two glasses). Wait until the berries fall to the level of the neck, cover with a lid and sterilize as described above.

Useful strawberry jam in just 5 minutes - video recipe

How best to save strawberries? There are different ways. But whichever you choose, the berries will surely delight you with their wonderful taste and aroma, reminding you of summer.