Never fear: vinegar can help rinse off pesticide residue as well as dirt or bacteria. Pour three cups of cold water and a cup of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar into a bowl, then submerge your strawberries for five to 20 minutes.
Do you wash strawberries with salt or vinegar? You can wash strawberries with both, though neither are necessary—water works just fine! If you want to wash with salt though, you can dissolve one teaspoon in a couple of cups of warm water.
The tried-and-true simple water rinse is an effective way to clean strawberries. It's also the fastest. Place the strawberries in a colander, and rinse them with cold water under the tap for several minutes. Gently rub each strawberry with your hand to loosen any stuck-on dirt.
Drain and rinse: Drain and rinse the strawberries (removes all the vinegar taste don't worry!), then lay them out on a towel to dry. Store: Line an airtight container with paper towels, add in the strawberries, and store them in the fridge. This step is important to make sure you're removing moisture!
Strawberry Cleaning: Remove Pesticides and Bugs
Soak strawberries for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse berries in plain water. Lay out berries to dry on paper towels or towels for at least 20 minutes, they need to be totally dry. Store the berries in the refrigerator in an open, well ventilated container.
Vinegar Bath, fresh for up to 2 weeks
One of the great things about vinegar is that it destroys harmful bacteria so bathing your strawberries in it will keep them fresh longer. And don't worry about your berries tasting like vinegar. You'll be washing it off.
Pour three cups of cold water and a cup of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar into a bowl, then submerge your strawberries for five to 20 minutes. Thoroughly rinse the strawberries with cold tap water and drain them to keep them from tasting acidic.
Do strawberries last longer washed or unwashed? To keep berries fresher for longer, you want to wash as you go. This means, only wash the strawberries that what you plan to eat immediately and leave the rest unwashed. Washing exposes the berries to moisture, and moisture leads to mold.
When, and again, only when, you're ready to eat or otherwise make use of the strawberries, put the berries in a colander and quickly rinse them with cool water. This is enough to get any dust off of them.
Baking soda, whose alkalinity helps to neutralize many common acidic pesticides, is generally thought to be the most effective produce wash.
Rinse the strawberries in a vinegar and water solution. Vinegar is supposed to kill any potential spores of bacteria on the fruit. Mix together a cup of vinegar and three cups of water in a large bowl. Add strawberries and let them sit in the rinse for several minutes.
What is the best way to wash strawberries? The best way to wash strawberries is to rinse them with water and then soak them in a vinegar for about 20 minutes or soak them in a water and baking soda mixture for about 15 minutes.
If you rinse them, the vinegar wash should have no effect on the taste of the berries.
Fill a large bowl with 3 cups water mixed with 2 Tbsp vinegar. Since we'll be rinsing them well, sometimes I use organic white distilled vinegar as it's more affordable and not quite as strong of a flavor, but apple cider vinegar will work too. Place the berries into the water and let them soak 5 to 10 minutes.
After they've been cleaned and dried, you'll want to store them in an air-tight container lined with paper towels. This will help soak up any additional moisture. If washed and stored properly, strawberries should last about two weeks in the refrigerator.
Don't Pre-Wash Your Strawberries
Strawberries will stay their freshest when dry and cold, and any added moisture will soften the strawberries and encourage mold growth. So instead of washing all of your berries right when you get home from the store, wash them as you plan to eat or prepare them.
The most effective way to clean pesticide residue off of strawberries is to submerge them in a vinegar bath. In a bowl, mix four parts water with one part white vinegar, then let the strawberries soak in the bowl for 20 minutes. Rinse the strawberries thoroughly with fresh cold water to clean off the vinegar.
How to do it: Pour the vinegar solution into a large bowl or storage container. Add the fruit and make sure that all pieces are submerged in the vinegar solution. Let the fruit sit in the solution for two to three minutes, then strain. Rinse the fruit completely to remove the solution, then pat dry.
#1: Vinegar Soaking Method
Add 1 cup of white vinegar and submerge your fruits and vegetables in the water. Let soak for 15 minutes. Drain the water and give the produce a quick rinse. To dry, lay the produce out on a kitchen towel until completely dry or hand dry each piece individually.
Vinegar Bath to Kill 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.
Just keep it in an airtight jar in your fridge. "If you put your fruit, like strawberries, in a glass jar in the refrigerator, they stay fresh for 2 to 3 weeks!" This method of storing food is actually pretty popular amongst the zero-waste community.
Rinse with vinegar solution: Soak strawberries in a vinegar solution (one-part white vinegar and three parts water) for a few minutes. Then drain them, pat them dry, and place them on a clean paper towel in a glass container. Loosely place the lid on and store in the refrigerator.
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.