Strawberries are one of the earliest berries to hit stores and farmers' markets in the spring, and these juicy red orbs are a joy of summer fruit eating. So there's nothing more disappointing than going to eat your berries only to discover mold. It's tempting to just wash off or cut away moldy parts and consume the rest. But is it safe?
How to Store Strawberries
Is It OK to Eat Moldy Strawberries?
If you find white fluffy stuff on your berries that looks a bit like cotton candy, that is mold. Mold is a fungus with spores that feed on the berries and grow thin threads that can look like fluff or cotton. This particular type of mold is common among fruits and is known as Botrytis fruit rot or gray mold, according to Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
While moldy strawberries are unlikely to harm you, they can make you sick if you are allergic to molds in general, according to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. And since berries are a soft-fleshed food, unlike apples or pears, it is not safe to simply cut away the moldy part, since the spores have likely gone into the flesh of the berry. A moldy strawberry should be thrown out.
If a berry is just bruised but does not show any signs of mold, the bruised part can be trimmed away.
If you accidentally eat a moldy strawberry, you'll know because moldy strawberries will have an off-flavor that is a bit sour and acidic and may remind you of blue cheese. The off taste is nature's red flag that your red berries are bad in case you miss the visual mold.
A small amount of this mold is unlikely to make you sick. If you ate a larger amount, you might have some signs of gastric distress similar to mild food poisoning, but it should resolve on its own and is not toxic or especially dangerous, just uncomfortable.
If you open a container to discover what looks like one moldy berry but the rest seem fine, discard that berry and any berries in direct contact with it, and then wash the others well before eating.
You can make a solution of mostly water plus white vinegar to wash the berries. Vinegar kills mold, which is the same reason we recommend using a vinegar and water solution to clean your humidifier. Use one part white vinegar to four parts water (using more vinegar might pickle your berries) and soak the berries for five minutes before rinsing well, patting dry and storing.
If more than one-quarter of the berries in a container are moldy, just throw it out.
How to Choose the Freshest Strawberries
To avoid the mold problem, choose the freshest berries possible. Berries purchased at a farmers' market will likely be fresher than those at your grocery store. Check sell-by or best-by dates on consumer packaging and look for dates the furthest out. Check packages for signs of juice or moisture, which can indicate that berries on the bottom might have gotten smashed—and damaged berries are more likely to rot and mold.
You want berries that are bright red and shiny, without a dull or matte look, and with the seeds indented into the flesh. They should smell fragrant and sweet. Look for obvious signs of mold at the bottom of the container.
If purchasing your strawberries at the farmers' market, ask them to transfer your berries from their carton into a bag so that you can see if any are moldy underneath.
At the grocery store, you can transfer the berries to a produce bag to ensure that they are all fresh, and then return them in the bag to the original container to check out. If you do this and find molded berries, bring it to the attention of someone in the produce department, and ask them to help you find another package that is not moldy. Just don't open and handle several packages to create your own perfect box of berries (they probably wouldn't appreciate that!).
The Bottom Line
Strawberries should not be a source of fear, but when it comes to mold on these delicate fruits, be sure to err on the side of caution. Quickly remove and discard any berries that are moldy or are touching moldy berries, wash the rest well, and then dry them before storing them to prevent new mold. And if more than a quarter of the berries in your container are moldy, discard the whole batch.
If your berries were purchased at a grocery store and you discover the mold the same day, return them to the store, which should either give you a refund or a replacement.
If you love fresh, sweet strawberries, you'll definitely want to try this easy-to-make treat, Strawberry-Chocolate Greek Yogurt Bark. Or make a batch of these Strawberry Crumble Bars for a healthy snack on the go.
Quickly remove and discard any berries that are moldy or are touching moldy berries, wash the rest well, and then dry them before storing them to prevent new mold. And if more than a quarter of the berries in your container are moldy, discard the whole batch.
Mold can penetrate and grow inside the soft flesh of fruit where you can't see it. Consuming moldy food can cause allergic reactions, as well as respiratory problems. When you find a few moldy pieces of fruit inside a container, throw out the moldy fruit and any pieces of fruit that are directly touching them.
Strawberry consumption is not advised in specific situations, such as: People suffering from diarrhea. People with any type of digestive disorder. People with diabetes or irritable colon.
Blossoms commonly turn brown and die. A soft, light brown rot may appear on any part of the berry but generally occurs first in the area of the cap, destroying the berry within 48 hours. The infected fruit spot is at first a light brown color and somewhat soft in texture.
Trim off an inch around the mold, and eat or cook as you planned. Softer fruits and vegetables, like cherries, strawberries, and corn, should be tossed. Mold can easily spread to nearby areas, even if you can't see the spores with your naked eye.
Unless you are immunocompromised or eat very large quantities of mold, you will probably be OK. But watch for any symptoms, the experts note. If you feel fine, you can proceed as normal. If you develop severe gastrointestinal symptoms or signs of an allergic reaction, seek medical attention.
If you have mushy strawberries with soft spots, this is another sign that those strawberries are too bad to eat. Whole strawberries that are good to eat should have a firm texture. Soft strawberries or ones with bad spots like this will not be safe to eat.
Berries tend to be quite porous, water-rich and delicately skinned, meaning they soak up excess moisture in their environment very easily. They also pretty much all carry mold spores, which grow rapidly when moisture is plentiful.
Vinegar is supposed to kill any potential spores of bacteria on the fruit. Mix together a cup of vinegar and three cups of water in a large bowl.Add strawberries and let them sit in the rinse for several minutes.
If you're planning to eat your strawberries right away, storing strawberries at room temperature on your kitchen counter is the best option — they'll lose a bit of luster and flavor in the fridge.
Moisture is an enemy of the fresh strawberry. The inclination may be to store them in airtight containers, but strawberries will rot more quickly when the moisture is trapped inside. Even the plastic containers in which many grocery store strawberries are packed are a bad choice for refrigerator storage.
Mushy strawberries may be safe to eat, but they are not in their best form, which makes discarding them sometimes appealing. This brings us to the science of why strawberries become mushy. Strawberries are made up of high water content, and it contributes to their firmness and shape.
We recommend that you cook or macerate them with sugar and only then swirl or blend them into bases for ice cream, popsicles, or sorbet, depending on your preferences. If you are looking for delicious things to do with overripe strawberries, keep in mind that you are not limited to the classics such as jam.
Since strawberries will begin to rot after a few days on the counter, if you plan to make your berries last for longer, they need to be in the refrigerator. Once they are stored, they'll last anywhere from five to seven days.
A bruise on produce presents as a soft spot, sometimes with a bit of wrinkling on the skin, with a mushy browned area underneath. It's a bit gross, but you can absolutely cut out the bruise and eat the rest.
Mushy strawberries may be safe to eat, but they are not in their best form, which makes discarding them sometimes appealing. This brings us to the science of why strawberries become mushy. Strawberries are made up of high water content, and it contributes to their firmness and shape.
While it's possible that there would be some mycotoxin in the straw, he doubts it's enough to make someone really sick. The fact that Houlihan was drinking through the straw for two years implies "chronic exposure," Denning said, which could produce symptoms such as fatigue and coughing.
We recommend that you cook or macerate them with sugar and only then swirl or blend them into bases for ice cream, popsicles, or sorbet, depending on your preferences. If you are looking for delicious things to do with overripe strawberries, keep in mind that you are not limited to the classics such as jam.
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