My Unconventional “Upside Down” Method for Storing Strawberries So They Last Longer

Like many other parents out there to young kids, I keep multiple fresh fruit options around at all times. I joke with my husband that we spend one-third of our grocery budget on milk, one-third on snacks, and one-third on fruit. (I haven’t officially done the math, but I’m like 95% sure that this is accurate). However, the joke is typically on me because more often than not, the fruit goes bad quicker than I realize — this is especially true for any type of berry. That’s because I’m just not that person who will dunk their newly procured fruit into a vinegar solution and then dry them in a salad spinner — even if it’s been proven to ward off spoilage. For me, it just takes too much time and effort. 

Recently, in an attempt to keep berries (namely, strawberries) fresh for longer, I flipped a plastic container of them upside-down on a total whim and stored them in my fridge. And guess what? It worked. Those berries lasted much longer than I expected. But how would they stack against a winning method? Here’s what I found.

In order to make my findings more legit, I tested my method — storing unwashed strawberries in their original plastic container upside-down in the fridge — against the winning method for storing strawberries (washing strawberries in a solution made with 1 part white vinegar and 3 parts water, draining and drying them thoroughly, and storing in a paper towel-lined container). I ran the test for one week. Each morning I checked the berries to see how they were faring. I removed any that were spoiled, whether they had softened or darkened in color. At the end of the week, I counted how many berries were left to determine the winner. 

Results of storing strawberries after being soaked in a vinegar solution and dried in a salad spinner: Similar to the findings in our methods for storing strawberries, I didn’t have to toss a single one. By day five, I had finally noticed one berry had some spots of softness, while three others had dark spots here and there. Overall, they looked nearly as fresh and vibrant as when I first brought them home. 

Results of storing strawberries upside down: Like the method above, none had spoiled. By day five, I observed a couple of soft spots on four of the berries. They too looked just as great as when I picked them up at the store. 

Simply flipping the container over and storing the berries upside-down is by far one of the easiest ways to prolong their shelf life. Even better, it took practically no time on my end, and delivered results that were comparable to a tried-and-true method. I suspect that storing them upside-down allows airflow to reach the “bottom,” letting even more moisture escape and slowing down any spoilage. So if you’re pressed for time (like me), give this method a shot. I’ve also tried it with raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries and had promising results.

This article originally published on The Kitchn. See it there: My Unconventional “Upside Down” Method for Storing Strawberries So They Last Longer