Strawberry season is one of our favorite seasons! But how do you know if you’re picking the “right” strawberries? Are they ripe enough? Are they too ripe? How can you tell? Use these simple tips to pick the perfect berries every time.
How to Choose Strawberries
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There is just something about the smell of a box of fresh, ripe strawberries that makes me so happy! How do you know if you’re getting the best strawberries you can find? Here are a few easy tips for choosing strawberries at your grocery store, farmer’s market, or you-pick farm.
Look for bright red berries. Strawberries don’t continue to ripen after they are picked, so what you see is what you get. Look for berries that a bright red from top to bottom. Berries like the ones in the photo below, with a lot of yellow or green, will stay that color and won’t taste as sweet as a ripe strawberry.
Look for fresh green leaves. After the berries are picked, the green leaves will start to dry and wilt. The longer the berries have been picked, the more “wilty” the leaves will look. Fresh green leaves mean that the berries are fresh, too.
Look for plump berries. If the berries are starting to look “dry” or shriveled, they are getting old.
Size doesn’t matter. Different varieties of strawberries grow to different sizes. Weather and growing conditions can also affect the size of strawberries. Smaller berries are often sweeter, but bigger berries are delicious, too!
Look for no signs of mold. If you can see one moldy berry in the box, there are probably a few more. Mold on the berries means they are starting to rot. Even if most of the berries in the box aren’t moldy, they are all probably starting to go bad.
Look at the berries you can see from the top and the bottom of the box. Sometimes, a “bad” berry can be hiding at the bottom of the box. Make sure all the berries you can see look red, ripe, and fresh.
Free Printable for How to Choose Strawberries
Click here to download this free printable. Keep it handy when you head out to the grocery store!
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Get everything you ever wanted to know about strawberries in this episode of My Fearless Kitchen TV.
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