To keep your blueberries fresher, longer, begin by putting the blueberries in a strainer. Then, give them a quick rinse with cool water to remove any dirt and debris. Next, dip your blueberries into a mix of vinegar and cold water. After the vinegar dip, pat your blueberries dry with a cloth towel or paper towel to absorb excess water. Finally, store them in an airtight container to keep them fresh for up to a week.
5 Steps for Washing Blueberries
Cleaning and storing fresh blueberries only takes a few simple steps. Correct washing will make your berries safe to eat and keep them fresh longer. Here’s the best method for washing blueberries.
1. Rinse with Cool Running Water
Place your fresh blueberries in a colander or strainer. Once your berries are in the colander, run cool tap water over the berries. Let the cool water flow over your berries for a few seconds to remove residue and debris.
Don’t fill your strainer with mounds of blueberries. Piling too many berries into the colander can cause crushed berries and prevent thorough washing. Washing too many blueberries at once also makes it harder to find and throw away any moldy berries.
2. Make a Vinegar and Water Mix
Mix a solution of 3 parts water with 1 part vinegar in a large bowl. This vinegar mixture is essential for preserving blueberry freshness for longer periods of time.
The acetic acid in vinegar is both anti-fungal and antibacterial. So, this vinegar mix will kill and prevent mold. That way, your berries won’t get mushy nearly as fast.
3. Dip Blueberries into Vinegar and Water
After washing, quickly dip your blueberries into your vinegar and water solution. Do not let the berries soak or they will absorb the vinegar flavor.
If you use a large bowl for your vinegar solution, you can dip the strainer with your berries into the vinegar solution and preserve all of your washed berries at once.
4. Dry with an Absorbent Towel
If you allow your blueberries to air dry, it may lead to mushy berries. Instead, it’s better to gently pat your berries dry using a paper towel or cloth towel to absorb excess moisture.
I like to pour the strainer of berries onto a paper towel and pat them dry. Berry juice can stain cloth, so avoid using a light-colored reusable towel.
5. Store in an Airtight Container
After you’ve patted your blueberries dry, use a clean, airtight container to store them. Put the container back into your refrigerator. Your washed blueberries will now stay fresh for up to one week.
If you prefer, you can freeze fresh blueberries for a much longer shelf life. Just make sure your blueberries are patted dry before you follow the steps to freeze the berries.
Do You Need to Wash Blueberries?
You do need to wash blueberries just before eating them. Washing berries removes unwanted residue and debris that may not be good to consume.
- Blueberries need to be washed by the time you eat them.
- Sometimes it’s better to not wash blueberries before storing them.
If you’re freezing your blueberries, it is not required to wash them before freezing. As long as you wash your blueberries just before you eat them, you’re safe. In fact, you can use our 5-step method to wash frozen blueberries too.
Does Baking Soda Remove Pesticides from Blueberries?
A 1% baking soda solution can remove some pesticides from blueberries. However, it can’t remove all pesticides. It’s safer to buy fresh, organic blueberries that have not been treated with any pesticides.
- A baking soda solution can remove some pesticides.
- Baking soda can’t remove all pesticides, so it’s better to buy organic, pesticide-free blueberries.
For the freshest berries, try growing them yourself. You can also visit a nearby farmers’ market during the blueberry season. Another option might be to find a good local organic grocer or fruit vendor.
How Do You Wash Blueberries?
Blueberry washing only takes a few minutes and leaves you with plenty of fresh fruit to enjoy. Here’s how I wash my blueberries to make them safe to eat:
- Rinse blueberries with cold water until all debris is removed.
- Make a vinegar-and-water mix to clean your blueberries.
- Dip blueberries in your vinegar-and-water mixture to kill mold and bacteria.
- Gently dry your blueberries with a paper towel.
- Store blueberries in an airtight container.
This solution works great for preventing mushy, moldy blueberries. Since I add blueberries to my breakfast granola and yogurt, I use this system regularly so my produce always tastes fresh.
