A few years ago my cousin Anne forwarded us all an email with a tip on how to make your berries last longer.  I can’t remember now where she got it but thank you, thank you, thank you!  I buy berries all the time.  Berries are expensive and there is nothing worse than coming home from the store only to find them moldy the next day.  It is a waste of money and just so very disappointing.

So here is a great way to prolong the life of your berries:

1. In a bowl, mix 1 part distilled white vinegar to 9 parts water.  For these I used a 1/2 cup of vinegar and 4 1/2 cups of cold water.
2. Put your whole berries directly from the package into the vinegar/water mixture.
3. Gently swirl the berries around a bit with your hand.
4. Let them sit in the mix for a minute or so then remove the berries with your hand or with a spider (there is no need to rinse the berries as the vinegar is so diluted).  Place them on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to dry.

   

5. After they are dry, I put the berries back in their original container lined with a new, dry paper towel.
6. Now your berries are clean, will last significantly longer in the fridge and are all ready to enjoy! And look at all that dirt you thankfully left behind in the bowl… gross.