Avoid This Mistake At All Costs When Buying Fresh Strawberries

Buying fresh strawberries can give you a sweet and healthy snack to enjoy, but it needs to be done with foresight in order to walk away with the best fruit at the store. While knowing what the different varieties of strawberries are can be beneficial, the true difference maker is what kind of container they're stored in. As a general rule of thumb, avoiding strawberries in plastic packaging of any kind can lead to berries that are both fresher and longer-lasting.

Beyond just being eco-friendly, the main reason ditching plastic food containers is such an important distinction when choosing strawberries comes down to their exposure to moisture. Because plastic containers tend to trap moisture within them, strawberries stored inside are more likely to mold quite quickly. Furthermore, considering the fact that fresh strawberries naturally spoil relatively fast, and that you should ideally store the berries within the same container that they come in, plastic packaging is simply not ideal if you want to prevent them from molding before their time is due.

While trying to avoid strawberries in plastic containers might make it difficult if you're visiting a supermarket or big box store, it is much more common in farmers' markets and smaller grocers known for their produce. These places often utilize cardboard, which not only gives your strawberries good airflow and protects them from molding, but also keeps them from getting bruised and allows them to maintain their pristine form. Furthermore, some studies show that cardboard also helps prevent cross-contamination at stores, meaning it's an overall safer alternative in that regard, as well.

Alternatively, strawberries — like many other fruits — can sometimes also be found in wooden or woven baskets. This is especially common at smaller markets or fruit stands whenever they're in season, which usually begins around May. This, similarly to cardboard, is a good sign that the strawberries haven't been overly exposed to moisture and will stay fresh for a longer period of time. Furthermore, if you do buy fresh strawberries individually from a fruit stand and they aren't already packaged, using a wooden basket is one of the best ways to store strawberries for maximum freshness.