It's simple really: just give them a quick bath in a vinegar and water solution the moment you get them home, dry them, and place them in a clean container lined with paper towels. The vinegar helps to kill any mold that could cause them to spoil, and this method can make them last as long as 10 days in our house!
In a large bowl, mix together 3 cups water and 1 cup white vinegar. Immerse your berries in the water and gently stir in order to wash. Let the berries soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain the berries in a colander and rinse under running water.
Use 2 tablespoons (30 mL.) of vinegar per gallon of water and water the blueberry with this once a week or so. While this is a quick fix, it is not a long lasting one and should not be relied on as a long term way for lowering blueberry soil pH.
Ammonium sulfate is the most commonly recommended blueberry fertilizer for ensuring the pH of the soil remains acidic. How much to initially apply depends, of course, on how acidic your soil is to begin with. Typically, 2 to 4 ounces per bush per year is adequate to maintain an established pH between 4.5 and 5.1.
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.
It's simple really: just give them a quick bath in a vinegar and water solution the moment you get them home, dry them, and place them in a clean container lined with paper towels. The vinegar helps to kill any mold that could cause them to spoil, and this method can make them last as long as 10 days in our house!
Don't rinse unless you have to!
The absolute best way to keep berries fresh is to avoid rinsing them until you're ready to eat them.
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Then, just keep up a good dose of seasol on the watering can every few weeks. Really, blueberries aren't that fussy.
Magnesium also affects blueberries' ability to use other soil nutrients needed for proper growth and delicious berries. When conditions cause magnesium deficiencies, Epsom salt can add extra magnesium to help restore blueberry productivity and health.
Blueberries will benefit from an application of sulphate of potash each year in spring.
Application Information. Blueberries require the most water and nutrients during the blooming and fruiting season, from late summer into autumn. Acidity is necessary for proper nutrient uptake, so apply vinegar water regularly during that time.
Then, when your blueberries get established, you can add apple cider vinegar to your irrigation water – about 1 tablespoon per gallon. This can be easily mixed in a watering can, or injected through a fertilizer if you have a drip irrigation system and are feeling fancy.
#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
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.
According to Clean Green Simple, a simple vinegar solution can effectively remove mold spores and bacteria, extending a berry's shelf life for up to three weeks. After rinsing well, this all-natural cleaning agent won't impart any pungent vinegar flavors, but it will give you more time to create delicious berry dishes.
"The lemon brings out the flavor of the berry, and it cuts back on the taste of the sugar," said Bestwick, who grew up picking berries off the vine in Michigan. "Lemon is always good to stick in any berry jam." Lemons have a tendency to remind us of spring.
Baking soda on plants causes no apparent harm and may help prevent the bloom of fungal spores in some cases. It is most effective on fruits and vegetables off the vine or stem, but regular applications during the spring can minimize diseases such as powdery mildew and other foliar diseases.
Blueberries prefer acidic soils. A fail-safe way to grow blueberries in almost any soil is to incorporate peat moss into the planting medium. For planting directly in the ground, work up a planting area approximately 2½ feet in diameter and 1 foot deep for each plant.
On young rabbiteye blueberry plants, the most common symptom of a magnesium deficiency is mature leaves that are pink on the edges and yellowish between the veins. When magnesium is low, based on a soil test, you can add Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) at the rate of 3 ounces per plant to compensate for the deficiency.
Blueberry plants are very sensitive to readily soluble fertilizers and excessive amounts can cause plant injury or death. Higher than recommended rates can be damaging causing brown necrotic leaf margins or pale yellow chlorosis of leaves and low vigor, particularly where too little water is applied.
Therefore, composts containing more than 2% N (dry weight basis) produced from poultry manure, dairy manure or feedlot manure are not recommended for blueberry.
The leftover grounds from one or two cups of coffee should be enough for one bush. Sprinkle the grounds over the soil and work them into the top several inches of your garden. Try to spread them out rather than putting them all in one place.
Berries readily absorb excess water. If you wash them and then stick them in the refrigerator, they could get moldy or mushy. Keep berries fresh and avoid mold spores by keeping them dry until you're ready to use them.
People should thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables before cooking or eating them. Produce that the manufacturer has prewashed does not require further rinsing, however. There are two main risks of eating unwashed fruits and vegetables: bacterial contamination and pesticides.
You can leave blueberries at room temperature if you plan to eat them in the next day or so, but after that you should transfer them to the fridge—they can stay there for five to 10 days. Of course, you can freeze them if you want to keep them longer than that.