How to Select & Store Strawberries

Strawberries have been one of my favorite fruits since I was a child, and they still are! The trick with strawberries is that it is all about color, cultivar (they are bred for longer shelf-life these days instead of better flavor), and how far they have been shipped. This post is all about how to select and store strawberries in order to be able to enjoy them to their fullest.

(This post is an excerpt from The Produce Nerd’s Grocery Guide. You can learn more about the Grocery Guide, which covers this information for 55 different produce items, with input from 26 crop-specific companies HERE.)

What to look for when picking the best quality strawberries?

• You want to select firm strawberries that have a uniform red color. Since strawberries do not continue ripening after harvest, you want to buy them as ripe as possible, which is identified by the red skin color.

How to choose ripe strawberries?

• Strawberry ripeness is determined based on skin color, so the more red the strawberry, the riper it is. (That also means for really dark red berries that they might have ripened too much on the plant and will be overly ripe in flavor and can go bad faster – although this is rare.)
• Strawberries are non-climacteric, meaning that once they are harvested, they do not continue ripening. The skin color is representative of the ripeness stage at the time of harvest. 

Common issues to avoid when selecting strawberries?

• Botrytis cinerea (the white fuzz) is very common in strawberries. Since strawberries are packed and bought in bulk, you should be sure to look for any growth in the container you are purchasing, as well as those around the container you would like to buy.
• Soft/mushy strawberries.

Are there any common issues that are specifically caused by bad grocery store handling?

• Improper temperature storage can lead to quicker pathogen growth, as well as quicker deterioration of the strawberries that already have a short shelf-life.

Should you wash strawberries before storing them?

• No. Don’t believe the hype! Do not wash your strawberries until you are just about to eat them, unless you are cutting them and storing them in an airtight container to use for something (e.g., fruit salad, dessert, etc.). 
• If you cut them before storing them in the refrigerator, they will shrivel up and go bad very quickly.

What is the best way to store strawberries at home?

• Strawberries should always be stored in the refrigerator. Just a day or two on the counter will drastically reduce the shelf-life of strawberries.

What is the best way to store cut strawberries?

• You should store cut strawberries (and all cut fruit) in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (These are my go-tos for fruit storage in the refrigerator.)

How to freeze strawberries?

• Before putting strawberries in the freezer, you will want to cut them into bite-size pieces and store them in an airtight container (although if you are going to use them in smoothies later, it’s not necessary to cut into bite size pieces, just cut off the stems so they are ready to use when needed).
• You can either use something similar to a Ziploc freezer bag or a Stasher Bag. 

What is your favorite way to eat and prepare strawberries?

• My all-time favorite dessert is strawberries and ice cream! Ever since I can remember, my grandma would cut up strawberries and add powdered sugar (you just keep adding and stirring until you reach the desired sweetness) and then pour those on top of vanilla ice cream. (See how in the video below!)