How to Keep Strawberries Fresh

I have always loved strawberries.

My mother took my siblings and me strawberry picking when I was little and I do the same with my children now. There are a lot of small strawberry farms near our hometown so we’ll head out in the morning to spend a couple of hours picking. There’s just nothing else in the world like fresh, sweet strawberries. 

There is one problem with strawberries though. They spoil. 

It doesn’t matter how carefully I inspect the package of berries in the grocery store. I can turn the package upside down and from side to side, checking the quality of every berry visible.

And they still spoil.

I always just assumed that that was what happens when you buy strawberries. You know that you have to eat them the same day or the next day, or you’ll start losing berries. I don’t know if you’re like me, but once I start seeing fuzzy or slimy berries – they all have to go in the trash.

As it turns out, it’s not the berries. It’s the packaging. Store packages aren’t actually that good at keeping berries fresh. 

Thankfully, I finally discovered something that does keep strawberries fresher longer – Rubbermaid® Freshworks™Produce Saver.

FreshWorks Produce Savers are new food storage containers that use revolutionary FreshVent™ technology and a CrispTray™ design to keep food fresh. The FreshVent is a patented membrane that naturally regulates the flow of O2 and CO2 to create the best environment for produce. The CrispTray elevates produce away from moisture and helps promote airflow around and under the product to prevent spoilage.

FreshWorks Produce Savers come in three distinct sizes to use for use with different types and amounts of produce and are dishwasher safe and BPA free.

I’ve been using FreshWorks Produce Savers for several months now and can’t believe how much longer my fruit and veggies are lasting! I have gotten so used to buying more lettuce for salads and more fresh fruit every time I go to the store because we always needed more. I did that for years!

Now I’ll bring home fresh strawberries or lettuce and be shocked to see that we still have great, fresh produce in the Fresh Works containers in the fridge. I love them!

To show how well the FreshWorks™ Produce Savers work, I’m doing a little experiment. I bought fresh strawberries at the store and am keeping half in the store package and half in my FreshWorks container. I want to document how long the strawberries last in each.

EDITED WITH RESULTS:
I’m back to show you the results. I left both packages on the top shelf of my fridge for 9 days. Didn’t touch them until today when I took them out to see the results.

Here are the strawberries in the Freshworks Produce Saver on the left and the store packaging on the right:

Ugh.

The strawberries in the store container are so bad, they are actually rotting. There was gunk on my refrigerator shelf and I even had to put the container on a paper towel for this picture because the rotten strawberries were dripping out. So gross.

But, as you can see, the strawberries in the Freshworks container are still completely fresh. They look awesome.

I knew there would be a difference in the freshness of the strawberries, but had no idea it would be so dramatic. I love my Freshworks!! 🙂

Learn more about Rubbermaid® Freshworks™ Produce Savers and keep your produce fresh longer!

This #Freshworks post is part of a sponsored campaign with Rubbermaid Freshworks through Socialstars™