Best way to keep strawberries?

[flyingwil]

Whats the best way to keep fresh strawberries?

I can barley keep them in the home fridge for more than a few days from bring them home from the store. I noticed in the Engel, the bruise, and liquefy a bit easier/quicker, so basically they have to be eaten within one to two days of entering the Engel. Other than freezing, or preserving does anyone have any good tips?

 

[Connie]

Sorry Wil, but I'm afraid that strawberries are a first two days of the trip food. The problem is that strawberries are very sensetive to pressure, correct moisture and temperature. The best idea I can give you is to sort them, use the ripest ones first. If the surface looks a little dull in spots, that's where they will start to go bad.

 

[FourByLand]

Yeah, I would say the best place to keep them is in your belly!

:victory:

 

[tdesanto]

...I noticed in the Engel, the bruise, and liquefy a bit easier/quicker...

This might have something to do with your driving habits, and the fact that your Engel is behind the rear axle. :sombrero:

For any kind of berries, we wash them at home and lay them out on towels to completely dry. Then, we pack them in a sealed container, like the GSI Outdoors Utility Box. We also line the bottom with a few paper towels to help keep the moisture in check so that they don't get too soft. You could also put some on top for padding as well.

These still need to be eaten soon, and as Connie taught us at Expedition Trophy 2008, always inspect and rotate your perishables.

 

[solidfrontaxle]

I know those greenbags work really good on preserving alot of other produce. Anybody tried them with strawberries? They might help. Not with the bruising though. If they work really good you might be able to leave them out of the fridge and pack them in a better way to keep them from bouncing and bruising.

 

[ntsqd]

Yeah, I would say the best place to keep them is in your belly!

:victory:

Exactly what I was thinking when I saw the topic title!

I think the longest term method would be to can them or make preserves out of them. :drool:

 

[BruceNP]

If you're using a good sized Engel, it should have a freezer section. You can wash and quick-freeze just about any really fresh fruit (washed and dried) using dry ice and a cooler. Then pop them into baggies and into the chill chest in single or double portion servings. Will last weeks. Just move from the freeze section to the refrig or just put them out to defrost and then serve.

The faster you freeze them, the better they will be. That's why the dry ice. Don't tape the cooler with the dry ice shut. It will build up some pressure. Just do your prep work a couple days in advance of leaving.

If you are just using a cooler with Ice, it will still work, but wont last nearly as long. I love blueberries done this way. They stay firm and taste great.

p.s.: Don't take them out of the dry ice cooler until they are as hard as a rock.

 

[cnynrat]

X2 on keeping them frozen. We keep frozen berries at home for making smoothies. With a fridge/freeze turned down to freeze you could keep them that way on the trail.

The other option for camping is to slice them and macerate them at home before you leave. Not quite the same as fresh, but they will keep for 4-5 days this way if kept cold, and they still work well for many applications such as putting on top of cereal or pancakes in the morning, or even just eating straight up.

 

[craig]

Other than storage, the variety makes a huge difference. The *classic* shaped strawberries (Rainiers in the PNW) tend to be very fragile but full of juice. If instead you select a firmer variety like a Shuksan you'll have much better luck transporting the strawberries. The Shuksans aren't as sweet but last 2-4x as long.