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Farmer's Market Berries

This summer was especially rich in luscious fruits.  I loved going to our local farmer’s market and as always, my eyes were bigger than my family’s stomach.  I felt like I bought everything in sight.  I always had plenty of peaches, blueberries, grapes, raspberries and blackberries around.   About half-way through the summer though, I noticed at times that I was throwing out moldy fruit I had not had a chance to eat within 2-3 days of purchasing.

Yes, I could have thrown them in the freezer when I first brought them home but that would be self-defeating of having fresh summer fruit in the kitchen.  To me, freezing is more for storing for the long winter months to come when the fruit won’t be available.  And running to the market every 2-3 days to always have fresh fruit, doesn’t fit into most people’s busy schedule.

So I set off to research ways of how to store fruit longer (discounting all the infomercials selling bags and containers that claim to increase storage time).  I came across a fast, easy and intriguing tip in the NY Times which recommended that you give your fruit a thermotherapy treatment.  Yes, you heard right!  Give them the spa treatment they deserve.

I recall talking with some chef friends of mine some years back who harvested their own yeast from the grapes in the local vineyard.  You see yeast, along with all types of other molds are everywhere.  And it suddenly made sense.  Heat the outer skin of the fruit enough to kill any mold spores lingering around and that should take care of the mold issues.  Just make sure you don’t begin to cook the fruit.

The article gave a very Alton Brown type description of heating a pot of water to a specific temperature and placing the fruit in for a very specific time.  One said to heat the water to 113 degrees for 30 seconds, while another said 145 for 12 seconds.  That was too many details for me to remember.  So I did a simple experiment.

Fresh Market Strawberries

I took my trusty instant read kitchen thermometer and held it under my kitchen tap with it turned on all the way to the hot side.  It registered at 145 degrees.  I then took some strawberries I had just purchased and placed them in a colander.  I normally washed them in cold water but this time I ran the fruit under the hot water for the same time I normally washed them under cold water.  Probably 10 -15 seconds. Then I patted them dry with a clean kitchen towel (you can use paper but we’re supposed to be green, right).  Thus I killed two birds with one rinse – I washed the fruit clean and hopefully killed any mold spores lingering around.

I then put them in a well ventilated storage container (remember my apricot article about fruits giving off ethylene gas which will cause them to ripen more quickly when stored in airtight containers) and put them in the refrigerator. The quick hot water bath did not affect the flavor of the berries at all.  I enjoyed about half of them over the next 3 days.  And at the end of that period, they still looked fresh.  They actually lasted about 3 more days longer before they started to get soft and mushy.  (Throw them in the blender and make smoothies at that point.)  Astonishingly, they never did begin to grow that white mold that I was experiencing before.

Strawberries - Old But No Mold

In fact, recently I left for a nine day trip out of town.  I had some strawberries I had bought three days before I left and rather than throwing them out like I would normally do, I left them in cold storage.  (Hey, all in the name of science!)  I returned expecting to see my science experiment growing mold so large it would be bulging out the doors of my Frigidaire.  To my surprise, the berries were definitely wilted and inedible but they looked more like they were on their way to being dried fruit, than being a mold farm.

There are many methods discussed on the Internet on how to clean and store strawberries.  Some involve storing in a glass jar, another between two wet towels and others discuss stem on or stem off, cut or uncut.  Some say to cool quickly and others say to heat.  In this world of so much information, it’s hard to know which one really works.  I like this solution because it’s quick, easy and cheap.

So my conclusion is that a nice thermotherapy bath, following by a gently drying rub down, followed by a leisurely rest in a cool place does wonders for berries, grapes and stone fruits.  (I also rinsed the skin of an uncut cantaloupe and that seemed to last longer.)  You know, I could use a nice spa package treatment like that right about now too!  See you after my massage!

(Disclaimer – Your results may vary and always follow good food handling safety procedures.)

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Filed under: Fruits & Vegetables