Store properly. Line a container with paper towels and lay your berries out in a single layer, leaving the top of the container off to vent the berries. You should store blueberries in a low-humidity, low-moisture part of your fridge, such as the middle rack.
If you have a salad spinner, you can spin the berries in there. If not, just lay the berries on some paper towels to dry. Once the berries are dry, store them in containers lined with paper towels.
Why do berries go bad so fast? It comes down to moisture… and mold. Berries tend to be quite porous, water-rich and delicately skinned, meaning they soak up excess moisture in their environment very easily. They also pretty much all carry mold spores, which grow rapidly when moisture is plentiful.
Before you place a pint of fresh berries in the refrigerator, you need to wash them. Rendine recommends washing them with a solution of one part white vinegar to three parts cool water. While water alone works fine, the addition of vinegar will help to delay decay and destroy any existing mold or bacteria.
You can store them in the plastic clamshell they come in, or in a large, un-covered bowl or container. Don't store fresh blueberries in an airtight container as this can trap moisture and speed up mold and rot.
Strawberries should not be a source of fear, but when it comes to mold on these delicate fruits, be sure to err on the side of caution. Quickly remove and discard any berries that are moldy or are touching moldy berries, wash the rest well, and then dry them before storing to prevent new mold.
"If more than about a quarter of the berries are moldy, you're probably best off getting rid of all of those berries. But, if the rest are looking healthy, they're not bruised, they're not soft and there's no visible mold on them, they're probably OK to eat after you've washed them well," she says.
Ideally, fresh blueberries are stored in a new container or bag with a bit of room left at the top. Avoid rinsing your blueberries before placing them in the freezer, as the water can create a layer of frost and damage the fruit's taste and texture.
Vinegar Bath to Kill Mold
Discard any berries that show even a bit of mold. Combine 3 cups cold water and 1 cup white vinegar in a large bowl or salad spinner. Immerse berries and swish around for about a minute. Drain berries, then rinse with clean, cold water until any trace of vinegar aroma or taste is gone.
One of the cardinal rules of keeping berries mold-free is to leave them unwashed until the moment before consumption. But, by washing your berries in a solution of vinegar and water, you can extend their shelf-life by days (sometimes even weeks!).
"We recommend washing produce just prior to consumption," Melendez says. "Washing produce and then putting it in the fridge can shorten shelf life due to increased moisture levels." Waiting keeps berries fresher!
If you leave ripe blueberries on the kitchen counter at room temperature, they will only last for a day or two before spoiling. It is best to keep them refrigerated. The best place to store blueberries is in the fridge where the shelf life of blueberries is about 2 weeks if properly stored.
Fungal growth often starts at the stem scar and can completely engulf the berry. A less common postharvest rot of blueberries in Michigan, characterized by fast-growing, tan to gray, fluffy mycelium and tan spore masses on brown stalks.
Choose a container with good airflow (like the pint the berries came in!), and line it with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Add the berries, then place the container on a shelf in the refrigerator. A shelf is better than the crisper drawer because there's better air circulation.
The best way to store blueberries is by rinsing the berries, drying them completely, and then storing them in single layers in an airtight container with a paper towel between each layer. In our testing, this method kept the most berries in prime condition for the longest amount of time.
Check on berries after an hour to see if they're dry. If not, give them a gentle stir with your hands or gently pat them dry. Once completely dry, move them to a clean mason jar. Cover with a lid and refrigerate.
Fruits and vegetables, FIRM
Cut off at least 1 inch around and below the mold spot (keep the knife out of the mold itself so it will not cross-contaminate other parts of the produce). Small mold spots can be cut off FIRM fruits and vegetables with low moisture content. It's difficult for mold to penetrate dense foods.
Blueberry – Botrytis Blight/Gray Mold (Botrytis cinerea and B. pseudocinerea) ID/Disease Cycle: Rotted flowers and berries are typically covered with a gray fuzz of mycelium and spores, which gives the disease its name.
If you find mold on one of your strawberries, throw it out along with any other berries that were touching the moldy one. Next, carefully examine the berries you have left. Toss any that are very soft or bruised. If the rest look fresh, give them a thorough rinse and enjoy them.
But once you store them, how long do blueberries last? When you store blueberries in the fridge, they should keep for up to a week and when you freeze blueberries, they should keep for up to eight months. Want to keep your other berries fresh? Learn how to freeze and store strawberries.
Spread your blueberries out on a rimmed baking sheet, let them firm up in the freezer for a couple hours, then transfer them into a resealable plastic bag and pop them back in the freezer. They'll keep for at least a few months, which means you can make blueberry pie...for Thanksgiving.
Berries have thin skins and are full of moisture, making them very susceptible to mold. Fortunately, common household vinegar is quite effective at killing the mold spores and bacteria that spoil fruit. 1 By washing berries in a mixture of white vinegar and water, you can make your berries last longer in the fridge.