Strawberries are moist and nutritious fruit. These red-colored fruits are high in water also contain carbohydrates, protein, and nutrients.
These fruits are highly consumable when they are fresh. How long do these fruits remain fresh when you pick them from the garden? Let’s find out.
How long can strawberries sit out?
Strawberries are often called berries, but botanists classified these fruits as pseudocarp. These little fruits are highly perishable and should be consumed within the first two days you have brought them home. Strawberries can sit out just for two days before they start to lose their freshness.
Strawberries are pretty good with different food types, such as dessert, salad, etc. So, you may want your strawberries in different shapes, cut or uncut, etc.
How much time will they stay fit to go with any food or anything? These fruits are highly perishable and may perish if they are not correctly preserved. How long can they be fresh? Here are some examples:
Fresh strawberries:
When picked from the garden, Strawberries can sit out for two days. If you want to preserve them, don’t wash them, but put them inside a box and keep them inside a refrigerator.
Fresh strawberries can last two to three days if put in a dry place. If any moisture touches the berry’s surface, it will start to lose its freshness and may rot itself.
Uncut strawberries:
You can pick them up from the plant when the fruit is ripe. But make sure to give the strawberry a pure red color from bottom to top. They can sit for 2 days.
When strawberries are perfectly ripened, you should pick them up. But, if you leave them on the plant, they may become soft and rot themselves.
Cut/Sliced strawberries:
It is easier for bacteria to set colonies when the surface of the fruit is open or cut. When microorganisms take over the berry, it will leave a rotten fruit.
Cut/ Sliced strawberries last for one day without preservation. On the other hand, they can last one to three days inside a refrigerator.
Chocolate strawberries:
Strawberries can rot faster compared to other berries. They are highly induced with water, about 97% of their total weight.
Chocolate doesn’t work as a shield to strawberries. The chocolate over the strawberry can stay sound. Still, the berry may not be in good shape after one day outside at room temperature and two to three days inside of a refrigerator.
Dipped strawberries:
Any sort of fungus or bacteria can grow faster on the surface of strawberries because these berries have mold spores on the skin. On the counter, dipped strawberries can stay good only for one day.
Strawberries after being refrigerated/Frozen:
Suppose you put the strawberries inside of a refrigerator after taking them out. In that case, the strawberries will sweat, which will cause them to perish faster.
You can use a fridge to preserve strawberries for almost a week. When taken out of the refrigerator, you should not keep them out longer.
Strawberries at room temperature:
Strawberries can stay edible just for one to two days at room temperature. If you want to preserve your strawberries, you can use the freezer for a more extended period and the refrigerator for a shorter period.
Can strawberries sit out overnight/all night?
The color and texture of strawberries attract almost everyone. Strawberries are prone to lose freshness more than other berries.
Strawberries have tiny pores, which helps molds, bacteria, etc., get inside them. That’s the main reason why strawberries rot faster.
Moreover, when you wash them, the water will touch the surface of the strawberries. The moisture will help these microorganisms grow faster than usual. Strawberries can sit out all night.
But some steps need to be maintained. Firstly, the strawberry should always be put on a dry surface. Secondly, you can leave them overnight in a dry place if only freshly picked. If you take your strawberries out from your refrigerator, the strawberries will sweat.
Sweating caused by refrigerators can rot berries faster. As strawberries are a place where microorganisms can easily invade, it is wise not to keep these berries out for a night.
How long do strawberries last?
Strawberries are good when you eat them fresh. Usually, these glossy red fruits stay just for two to three days without any refrigeration. If strawberries are put inside a jar where air can run and make the pot humid, the strawberries inside that jar will perish faster.
A fresh strawberry can stay fresh for two to three days without any spot or anything in a dry place. In any humid place, strawberries don’t last longer than usual.
In a freezer, fresh strawberries can stay for 6 to 8 months. On the other hand, strawberries can remain suitable for 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator and only two days outside.
However, when you cut strawberries, strawberries can remain safe for 3 to 4 months in a freezer, at least 1 to 3 days inside of a refrigerator, and only one day outside on the shelf.
What happens when strawberries sit out for too long?
Strawberries are susceptible to humidity. Strawberries should be kept in a dry place. In humid conditions or hot weather, strawberries tend to grow mold in them. As strawberries have mold openings, it’s easier for molds to rot strawberries.
Freshness will Drop Gradually:
On the first day, strawberries are good to eat, and if these are not correctly stored, they will lose freshness. When picked out of the garden, Strawberries are so fresh and tasty. Strawberries look delicious and healthy at this point.
However, after picking them up, if anyone leaves them on the counter or shelf, these berries start to lose their healthiness and delicious looking state and begin to look bad.
Dark Spots on the Surface of Strawberries:
Some strawberries are fully spotless, and these strawberries can stay fresh longer. But some strawberries have dark bruised spots. These dark spots may signify early contamination of bacteria or any fungus.
Any sort of microorganism can penetrate strawberries’ surface easily. At an early stage, the berries will have small spots which will grow more and more. And then the berry will be inedible.
High Moisture Cause Molds to Grow Faster:
Strawberries are moist, soft, and highly perishable. If you keep them at room temperature, they will gradually soften a little bit more, and fungus can grow over them.
In most cases, gray molds cover the whole surface of the strawberry and slowly ruin the berry’s freshness.
How to store strawberries?
There are several ways to keep strawberries good for one week to several months. These easy steps can be done by anyone. Some of these steps are here,
Make Sure All the Strawberries are Fresh:
Generally, strawberries are kept in a thin plastic box when bought. After bringing them to your place, take all these berries out. And if there is any spot on any of the berries. Separate the berries with a spot from the spotless berries.
Also, if there are any moldy strawberries, throw them away.
Cut the spot or Bruised Area:
Bruises on the strawberries’ skin can gradually spread over the berry, starting to decay. So, if you can locate the bruise, get rid of it. Keep the bruised strawberries together. Make sure to put fresh and cut strawberries in separate boxes.
Dryness is a must for storing Strawberries:
Strawberries are moist and soft. And if you put strawberries inside a plastic box, make sure to keep these fruits in an air-tight container with tissue paper underneath. The tissue paper will soak the humidity inside the box and keep the box dry.
Put these strawberries inside of a freezer or a refrigerator:
By following proper steps, if you put strawberries inside of a refrigerator, you can eat them for a week at best. However, put them inside the freezer. The fresh and cut strawberries will be edible for up to seven months on average.
Final Thoughts
Strawberries are soft and moist fruit. Without proper preservation procedures, they may not stay good after two days. If you put them in refrigerator, the freshness of these fruits can be extended. To keep the freshness of these berries, you should store them within the first two hours of picking.