Have you ever stood in the produce section at the grocery store staring at the beautiful, bright, colorful berries while trying to gather the strength to pick up a few cartons and put them in your cart? Well, I have. On numerous occasions I've fought my instincts and fell for the "2 for $5" deal on raspberries or the "$2 off strawberries" coupon only to mourn the loss of the excess berries only a few short days later.
It hurts to even write about all the money and produce I've lost over the years.
But then I came across a pin on Pinterest that raved about a "white vinegar berry wash." I was a bit skeptical at first, but I was also intrigued by the concept. I had never really used white vinegar before, so I wasn't sure what I was looking into. I clicked on the link and read about the process of washing your berries and fruits in a "special bath of diluted white vinegar."
Honestly, as a busy mom, it sounded like too much of an effort. Besides, wouldn't all my fruit then taste bitter from the vinegar? "I'll pass."
A couple of weeks later, I sighed as I dropped yet another half-empty carton of moldy strawberries in the trash as my toddler wailed for his promised snack. I caved and went back to Pinterest. I jotted down the instructions and prepared to try my very first vinegar berry wash.
I was still skeptical that following morning when I lugged the groceries into the kitchen. But I was daring. It was a "buy one, get one" deal, so I got myself two of everything. I cleaned out our farmhouse sink, grabbed the strainer, and hoped for the best.
I was actually surprised by how easy it was!
Fill your sink or large bowl with about 4 or 5 cups of cold tap water
Pour in a 1/2 cup of white vinegar
Gently poured in all your berries
While letting the berries soak in the solution, pick out any berries that are already beginning to mold
After a minute or two, scoop up the berries into the strainer and let them dry off
And that's it! You don't even have to rinse them off--the vinegar is diluted enough that it doesn't leave any taste at all (I had my hubby taste test for me).
But here's where I took it a step further...
The magic of the wash is in the vinegar. Vinegar kills any mold spores that may be on the berries, thus drastically slowing down the molding process. But what about keeping those sweet berries firm and crisp longer?
I decided to try storing my fruit in a different container than in the ones in which they came. Bring out the mason jars! I sorted my berries (and grapes!) into tall glass mason jars and stored them on the top shelf in my refrigerator. Let's just say it's a total game changer!
Love mason jars? Try out these easy-to-use, leak-proof lids I switched to.
White Vinegar Berry Wash
What You'll Need:
a clean, empty sink or a large mixing bowl
a strainer
1/2 cup white vinegar
4-5 cups of cold tap water
large mason jars
I now can enjoy firm, delicious, fresh fruit 10+ days from when I purchased them, all thanks to an incredibly cheap and simple trick I wish I had learned years ago. So what are you waiting for? Try this trick today! Be sure to pin this on your mom hacks Pinterest board...
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