Now, I don't know about you, but I find that incorporating fruits and vegetables in my diet is, well, a chore.  Buying produce is a total crap shoot, as 9 times out of 10, I end up with mealy apples and peaches or bruise-ridden avocados. Thankfully, I know that I can always count on Driscoll's for consistently perfect berries. Sure, they're more costly than the supermarket's brand, but I'd rather spend my hard-earned cash on a product that I'm confident in, rather than something that carries a 50/50 chance of being thrown out. So, in the essence of stretching your produce dollar a little further, I found some very useful info from the Driscoll's website on how to elongate the life of, and properly freeze, your berries.

From Driscoll's Berries:

For making berries last longer:
It is important to treat your berries with care. Berries taste best when kept chilled. For long lasting berries, Driscoll’s recommends that you store your strawberries in their original container. Always refrigerate your berries immediately and don’t wash them until you are ready to use them. When you are ready to eat your berries. gently rinse berries under cool water. After washing, allow your berries to reach room temperature before serving – this will enhance their natural flavors.

With good care, blueberries should keep for 5-7 days in your refrigerator. For best results, Driscoll’s recommends that you keep your blueberries dry in storage, and eat them as soon after purchase as possible. Raspberries and blackberries are highly perishable, and also extremely fragile. Under ideal conditions, raspberries and blackberries should keep for 1-2 days in your refrigerator.

Freezing berries:
Whenever possible you should purchase fresh berries, not frozen. If you plan to freeze your blueberries for jams and jellies, remember not to wash your blueberries before freezing – they need to be rinsed just before use. Whereas, if you plan to freeze your blackberries for jams and jellies, Driscoll’s recommends that you wash your berries carefully in cold water and then pack them into freezable containers.

Lindsay Feinberg