How to preserve strawberries for the winter: review of the 6 best methods, rules

In the summer, the question often arises of how to keep strawberries fresh in the refrigerator for several days. This berry is really quite capricious and requires a special approach. In this material we will look at different ways of short-term and long-term storage of strawberries at home, and also learn how to choose the right berries.

Strawberries (or rather strawberries) can be kept fresh in the refrigerator for several days

The key to long-term storage is fresh berries

After purchasing or harvesting strawberries, it is not always possible to immediately eat all the berries or process them. How to prolong their safety? First of all, you need to place the berries in a cool place. Modern refrigerators have compartments in which the temperature is kept no more than 2°C. They are located on the bottom, equipped with a drawer that is closed by an upper shelf.

Under such conditions, strawberries can be stored for about 7 days. A longer period will turn the berries into mush, with a musty smell. Cellars, basements, and cool balconies are also suitable for storage.

Important! Be sure to check the berries for spoiled ones, as rot quickly spreads to neighboring fruits.

Preparing the berries

Regardless of whether you picked berries in the garden or bought fresh strawberries in a supermarket or at a grandmother's market, the fruits must be prepared for storage. Only fresh garden strawberries are suitable, without traces of mold or rot.

On a note! In stores, strawberries are usually sold in transparent containers. It’s easy to see the berries through the walls of the containers and make sure of their quality.

The fruits should be firm, without dark spots or deformations. Before storing, strawberries are carefully sorted, removing suspicious specimens. Tear off the stalks and arrange the berries in one layer on plates or trays. Further actions are determined by the selected storage method.

How to quickly and effortlessly sort berries

Picking strawberries is labor-intensive and time-consuming. Currently, we have come up with several options:

Sepal cleaner. The device is similar to tweezers; it is used to grab the tails and remove them.
Kitchen knife for peeling potatoes. The sepals are cut out with the tip of a knife.
Straw. The tail is pushed upward from the underside of the strawberry.

Preparing strawberries with sugar in the refrigerator

This recipe provides the simplest and most delicious preparation of strawberries for the winter, which preserves maximum nutrients.

Author

Ingredients:

strawberries (peeled from sepals) – 1 kg
granulated sugar – 1 kg

Yield: 3 jars with a capacity of 0.5 liters.

Preparation.

1. Pour peeled, washed, towel-dried strawberries into a saucepan and add sugar.

2. Grind until smooth with a masher (you can use a meat grinder or blender), cover the pan with a lid and leave for 3 hours until the sugar dissolves.

During this period, it is necessary to carefully mix the mass several times.

3. Pour the grated strawberries into sterile jars, sprinkle the surface with sugar, close with a sterile plastic lid and put in the refrigerator.

This preparation of aromatic berries can be perfectly stored in the refrigerator for about six months.

This simple recipe has been tested many times by me personally. The whole family is delighted with this dessert.

Can I use vinegar?

A solution of vinegar and water is used to disinfect crops. This way the berries are stored longer. Prepare a solution in a ratio of 1:3. Of these, 1 part is vinegar. Pour it into a spray bottle, then spray the crop. This manipulation will extend the life of the fetus by several days. And if processed and stored in a cool place, it can be stored for 10 - 12 days.

How to preserve strawberries for the winter

There are certain storage conditions under which strawberries can be used for a whole year. Even in winter cold it will not lose its freshness and aroma. Proper freezing can ensure the preservation of the taste and, most importantly, beneficial qualities of this berry.

Before freezing, the berries are sorted, cleaned of dust, and all stalks are removed .

If necessary, you can wash the strawberries before freezing, but then dry them very well and place them on a paper towel.

It is important to know for what purposes the strawberries will be used later. If it is intended for preparing various desserts, it is better to first cut it into slices of a certain shape. Then the berries or slices are placed in small dishes. There should be a small space between them.

A day later, when the strawberries placed in the freezer freeze, they are transferred to special containers for food products in small portions and sent there again, this time for a long time. You can also use plastic bags for these purposes. Strawberries can be stored in this form for a year.

How to store fresh strawberries: terms and storage conditions

Keeping strawberries fresh is not very easy. When buying berries in a store, it is difficult to determine freshness. To increase storage for several days, it is recommended to follow these useful tips:

Carefully inspect the berries before purchasing; if you find bruised or rotten fruits, refuse to purchase.
Regularly sort through the berries and throw away any that are damaged or have uncharacteristic spots.
You should not wash strawberries in large quantities, this will shorten their shelf life.
To increase the period, you can spray the berries with a vinegar solution.

Methods for storing strawberries

There are several basic ways to store fresh fruits. How long the crop will be stored depends on the processing method.

Main storage methods:

If the fruits were purchased in a container with ventilation holes, then they can be stored in it. You need to eat them within 2 days.
If you place a paper towel at the bottom of a container (dish or bowl), place the berries on it and put them in the refrigerator, they will remain fresh for a week. Storage temperature - 0...+2°С. As the temperature rises, the shelf life will decrease.
Mix 1.5 cups of water and 1/4 cup of vinegar. Immerse whole specimens in the liquid for 5 minutes. Drain the water. Rinse with cold water. Dry the fruits with a paper towel. Place a fresh paper towel in the container and the berries on it. Place in the refrigerator. Strawberries will remain fresh for 2 weeks.

If you do not plan to consume the fruit within a few days, freezing is the best storage method.

These berries can be used in smoothies, baked goods or other treats.

Read about the beneficial properties of frozen strawberries.
You can also dry strawberries. To do this, cut it into equal pieces (pieces of the same size will dry more evenly). They need to be loaded into the dehydrator tray and evenly distributed in one layer.

Drying occurs at a temperature of +135°C for about 8 hours until the pieces become brittle and crispy.
Important! The berries are 91% water, so they will dry out very much.

Another harvesting method is “fruit leather.” Strawberries have very little pectin, so they will break when they dry out. To make flexible fruit puree sheets, mix equal parts applesauce and strawberry puree.

The parchment is then oiled to prevent sticking. The prepared puree is placed on it and dried in a dehydrator. The result is fruit layers that can be used as an independent dessert, like chips.

Making preparations for the winter

It is not always possible to eat or process the entire strawberry harvest. What to do with the leftovers? They can be frozen. When frozen, strawberries do not lose their nutritional properties and microelements. The main thing is to find a place in the freezer, there will be no problems with the rest.

Stuff in the refrigerator

The bookmark is easy to prepare. The main thing is to choose the right container. For strawberries, a breathable material, such as translucent cardboard, is suitable. The berries are laid out in layers. Cover each layer with a dry cloth and repeat the layer of fruit. It is not recommended to make bookmarks in more than three layers.

Important! In this form, the fruits are stored for a maximum of 2 weeks, subject to the constant removal of rotten berries.

Freeze whole

Before freezing, strawberries are sorted, stems are removed, and washed under running water. Then they are placed in plastic bags. You can also use cling film in several layers.

A piece of paper labeled “strawberry” is placed in the bag and the year of harvest is indicated. This makes it easier to find your favorite berries when you really want them. The shelf life of strawberries in this form is no more than 1 year. After the deadline has passed, the berries are thrown away and new ones are prepared.

Berry puree in the freezer

If the berries have been in the refrigerator for a long time and have begun to lose their appearance, then it is better to process them into puree and then freeze them. In this form, strawberries can be used to make cocktails, coat pancakes or pancakes. Some housewives add sugar to the puree.

Useful properties and taste of strawberries grown on the windowsill

We are used to thinking of strawberries as berries, but from a scientific point of view this is incorrect. Characteristic features of fruit crops: thick or thin peel, inside a soft and juicy core with seeds. Strawberries do not have a surface skin, only pulp with many small yellow nuts on the outside. The botanical name of the plant is polynut.

Strawberries with seeds are not a berry, but a watermelon! Read, I told you how to properly store watermelons to enjoy the tasty and healthy pulp.

My dears, what are strawberries? Strawberries are the result of crossing Virginia and Chilean strawberries; their correct name is “garden strawberries”. Unlike their progenitors, the berries are larger in size, consist of 80% water, and contain from 5% to 15% sugar. The composition also includes fiber (2%), pectin (1.7%), starch (1%). Depending on the variety, caloric content varies from 32 to 41 kcal per 100 g of fruit crop, proteins - 0.7 g, fats - 0.3 g and carbohydrates - 7.7 g.

The highest content of minerals in berries is calcium (16 mg), magnesium (30 mg), potassium (153 mg), phosphorus (24 mg). Fat-soluble vitamins include beta-carotene, vitamin E and K, and water-soluble vitamins include ascorbic acid and almost all B vitamins. The fruit crop also contains important chemical compounds: ellagic acid, curcumin and quercetin.

The rich mineral complex composition endows the red polynut with beneficial properties. The berry strengthens the cardiovascular system, lowers cholesterol levels in the blood, removes toxic substances from the body, and prevents the development of diabetes. It also stimulates brain function, promotes weight loss, is an excellent diuretic, and fights cancer by slowing down the growth of cancer cells.

The fruit crop has soft berries that taste sweet with a slight sourness. Sometimes varietal accessories complement the variety:

pineapple from Gigantella;
Elizabeth's honey;
nutmeg at Temptation F1;
wild strawberries near Selva.

Strawberries are soft and do not last long; read how to collect seeds from them to plant in the ground next year.

Fragrant strawberries of the Elizaveta variety are not only large, but also with a honey taste