While shopping for blueberries remember that they are highly perishable and do not ripen after being picked. Fresh blueberries are in their prime from June through August. While selecting make sure that they are completely blue, with no tinge of red.
- Once you bring your fresh berries home, the key to keeping it fresh is to kill any spores on the fruit. The pH of vinegar does that job.
- Place the berries in a large bowl and wash them in a vinegar-water bath: 1 cup of white vinegar and 8 cups of water.
- Let the berries sit in the vinegar-water bath, gently moving them to help dislodge any dirt, grime and letting the vinegar kill spores and bacteria.
- Drain the berries in a colander and then thoroughly rinse the fruit (to remove any vinegar flavor).
- Blueberries can be dried in a salad spinner.
Store the washed and dried fruit in a sealed container that has been lined with paper towels — if using an air-tight container, leave the lid slightly open to avoid natural moisture build-up. When I handle fruit I have purchased from my grocery store, I wash the original container and then re-use it, making sure to line it with paper towels.
Other Options To Keep Berries Fresh
- A quick hot-water bath at 140 degree water for blueberries has been shown to kill bacteria, resulting fewer berries going bad.
- Discard any bruised or moldy blueberries before refrigerating. If properly stored, blueberries will last for about 1 to 2 weeks in the fridge.
Tip to freeze Whole Blueberries
To freeze, first, wash berries carefully in cold water, pat dry and place in a single layer on cookie tray in freezer; once berries are frozen, transfer to airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags and return to freezer. If properly stored, they will maintain best quality for about 10 to 12 months, but will remain safe beyond that time. Blueberries that have been kept constantly frozen at 0 degree F will keep safe indefinitely.
If you plan on serving them in the future in their thawed, uncooked state, pack them in a syrup made of 4 cups water plus 3 cups sugar, seal and freeze. For crushed or pureed blueberries, add 1 to 1-1/2 cups sugar for each quart.
Blueberries: Bad or Spoiled
Blueberries that are spoiling will typically become soft and mushy and their color will deteriorate; discard blueberries if mold appears or if the blueberries have an off smell or appearance.
Till consumed, keep blueberries refrigerated at all times.
