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So Fresh! So Clean!


Who hates squishy berries? Me! Who hates how fast berries grow mold? Me! Who hates grimy, dirty berries? Me! And who hates chemicals? Me! (and probably hopefully you too)

Well, What if I told you that I have a solution to all of your problems? Okay, well not all of your problems but I do have a solution for your berry problems.

First and foremost, BUY ORGANIC! Let me repeat it again, buy ORGANIC! Listen, an extra dollar is not going to break the bank and IF it is, good thing step two is to CLEAN your berries. Why clean them? Well, even if you buy organic, you have no idea what those berries have come in contact with on their way to the store or Farmer's Market. And if you do not buy organic, well what they've come in contact with on the way to the store or Farmer's Market is the least of your concerns....can you say chemicals?! Yeah. Mmm Mmm good, right? Wrong. Lets clean that crud off so we don't ingest it.

So, how are we going to clean our berries? Well, I am SO glad you asked! We will not be using a produce spray you find in the grocery store. We will be using two things you probably already have on hand: Water and Vinegar. I know, I know, vinegar? Uck. But trust me here. The vinegar will NOT affect the yumminess of your fruit, I promise!

What you do:

Pour 6 cups of water in a bowl (or you can use your sink if you feel it is sanitary enough) and add in 2 cups of vinegar. Now, some others have suggested using a 10:1 ratio as opposed to a 3:1 ratio like I am recommending but here's the thing, I researched and science says that the 10:1 ratio dilutes the vinegar way too much to be effective. So, trust me here. I promise, you will love the results.

Once you have your water and vinegar mixture, add in your berries. I used the largest bowl I have and added in a quart of strawberries and two pints of blueberries.


Now, set your timer for 10 minutes and go find something fun to do! I changed out the laundry and dried my hair--super fun, right?! 

Once your timer goes off, use a strainer or slotted spoon to remove the berries from the bowl. And lay on paper towels or a dish cloth to dry.

I chose to use a slotted spoon because I wanted to see what the water looked like once I removed the berries. And let me tell ya, YUCK.


Check out that griminess! Gross. Seriously, who wants to eat that with their fruit?! Not me.

Now comes the hard part. Be patient. Let the berries dry COMPLETELY before A) Eating B) Putting Away. Why? Because if you eat them now, before they dry completely, they will taste tangy like vinegar (but no worries, once they dry they taste like yummy berries with zero trace of vinegar). Also, if you put them away wet (or damp), they WILL mold. Why? Where there is moisture, there will be mold. So, walk away and find something else fun to do and don't touch until they are 100% dried.


Oh! And side note: Resist the urge to rinse them once you take them out of the water/vinegar solution. The vinegar protects the berries against mold so rinsing the vinegar off will defeat the purpose. I mean, you will have clean fruit but their life will not be extended. 

Once your berries are completely dry, put them back in the containers they came in because they are slotted and breathable which is good for the berries.

The life of your berries should now be extended by approximately 3 days (give or take)! Yay! Plus they are clean and free of dirt and chemicals and germs and anything else that might have been on them.

Also, I would like to add that you can use this mixture on all produce! It may not extend the life of everything (like apples...) but your fragile produce will definitely benefit. Plus, it will clean all produce. So, win-win! 

Enjoy! :) 




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