Let’s Talk About How to Keep Strawberries Fresh for Weeks!
Since The Cross Legacy began, the “Strawberries in a Jar” aka #StrawberriesInAJar hack has become incredibly popular. In fact, it has gone viral. I was even invited to give a TED Talk on this topic! You can listen to my TED Talk, How Strawberries in a Jar Changed my Life in this video.
How to Keep Strawberries Fresh for Weeks
When it comes to having success with your strawberries in a jar, it begins with the washing process. I use a large bowl to wash the whole berries. Then pour ¼ cup white distilled white vinegar (5% acidity) and 10 cups of cool water. I set a timer and let them soak for 2 minutes, leaving the tops on.
It is imperative that you only let these berries soak in the solution for 2 minutes. If you leave your strawberries in the water for any longer than this, they will start the fermentation process. At that point it won’t matter what you do with them, they will not last.
After the two minutes are up, rinse the strawberries off in a colander, like this one, then lay them in a single layer on a clean towel to dry. The berries will stain, so keep this in mind when choosing your towel.
I often get asked if I reuse the water. The answer is no. After going through this process once, you will see why I use fresh water every time I wash produce. The water gets very dirty.
Over the next couple hours, I periodically check how dry the strawberries are. At this point you can also rotate them as needed on the towel. When they are completely dry, I put a piece of a paper towel at the bottom of a gallon-size glass jar and gently place the strawberries inside.
If you do not have access to, or dislike using paper towels, you can put a clean kitchen cloth at the bottom of the glass jar. The berries will leave a stain, so do this at your own discretion.
Finally, place the glass jar filled with strawberries in the fridge. Now you will have fresh strawberries in a jar to enjoy for the next three weeks!
Notes About Buying Fresh Strawberries
When I’m at the store selecting my strawberries, I take a few extra minutes to turn the package over and inspect the berries. I make sure to buy the best looking package of berries I can find. Before washing them, I discard any moldy berries. As mentioned above, I leave the stems on when washing and storing the berries.
Any berries that are bruised or more ripe than the others do not go in the jar. Once they are dry, they are pulled aside and placed in a bowl. My family knows to eat from the bowl before eating from the jar because these berries need to be eaten quickly.
Choosing the Right Jar
I buy organic strawberries from Costco, in a 2-pound clamshell container. I store them in a gallon-size mason jar because it fits the 2-pounds of strawberries perfectly. If you buy a smaller quantity of fresh strawberries, it works just as well to reuse old (but clean!) spaghetti sauce or pickle jars that are smaller in size – and it saves you money, too!
I actually started storing my berries in gallon-size pickle jars because my daughter was a big pickle fan, We always had these huge jars left over. It felt good to find a use for something that would have otherwise ended up in my recycle bin.
If you use a pickle jar, you may be concerned about your fresh strawberries tasting like pickles. However it is only the lid that retains the smell of pickles. You can solve this problem by sticking the lid in the sun after washing it with soap and water.
If you live in a similar climate to mine, you may not see a lot of that bright yellow light they say is in the sky. If this is the case, just stick the lid out on the counter for a few days. This will take longer, but it will work too.
The Next Day…
Although most of the work for keeping your strawberries fresh for weeks happens the day you bring your berries home, there are still a few key steps to be done.
Step 1: Check for Condensation
To make sure your fresh strawberries stay fresh for weeks, you will want to check for condensation. If there is a lot of condensation collected on the inside of the jar, take the top off. Leave it off for a couple of hours and leave the jar in the fridge.
I normally just set it right next to the jar so I don’t forget to put it back on. If the berries were bone dry before you put them in the jar, you don’t need to do anything else except take the lid off the jar for a couple of hours. You can learn more about that in the video below.
Your fresh strawberries will last longer if you store them in an airtight container. If you think that your strawberries were not all the way dry the first day, lay them back out on a towel to finish drying. Wipe the inside of the jar dry, put a new piece of a paper towel at the bottom, and place them back inside the jar with a lid.
If you check for condensation for a day or two and take care of it, they should last for three weeks. You won’t need to keep monitoring the strawberries beyond the first few days.
Step 2: Downsize Your Jar
Over the course of the month, as we enjoy our fresh berries, I will downsize to smaller glass jars to make fridge space. I add a new paper towel, normally at the 2-week mark.
I’ve found that three weeks is the sweet spot for keeping strawberries in a jar and having them be the best quality. If I make it to three weeks and still have some left, that is when I begin using them for breakfast toppings, like waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, etc. If you end up not using them for breakfast, just pop them in the freezer for smoothies. No wasted berries here!
What I love about this process is that it is so easy, fast, and cheap! You do not have to spend a bunch of money on specialty products with tons of ingredients.
I hope this post helps clarify the process of how to keep strawberries fresh for weeks. If there are questions that you still have, check out my FAQ post. You can also always, send me a message on Instagram.
If you use this same process for washing, drying, storing, and checking for condensation, you can also keep:
- Blueberries fresh for 6-8 weeks
- Raspberries and Blackberries fresh for 2 weeks
For even more fruits and vegetables, check out my eBook Series, I Bought It, Now What? These berry directions can be found in the book bundle as well as 75 of the other most popular fruits and vegetables. If you implement my tips you can work towards having zero produce waste in your home!
If you want to learn more about saving money on groceries and how my family sticks to a grocery budget of $135/person per month, check out my membership The Grocery Solution. It is a fully online course with videos and resources for you to print or download to help you save money. There is also an exclusive facebook group with more content and the opportunity to ask questions and engage in community.
I am so grateful for our new followers and wanted to create an easily searchable post that specifically addresses how to keep strawberries fresh for weeks – for three weeks or more! There have also been additional questions since I initially released the strawberries in a jar post. I thought I would take this opportunity to address those here as well, I hope this post has been helpful!
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