In the past, my refrigerator shelf life for berries was pretty short, especially if I was dealing with strawberries or raspberries.  It seemed I would bring them home from the store and find them spoiling within a few short hours.  And if you have ever purchased organic berries it is almost a crime to let them go bad!

So how do you stop it? Come to find out it is pretty simple.

First things first, why is it that mold grows so quickly on organic berries? Organic berries are not sprayed with pesticides or have not been processed with chemicals to preserve food for a longer shelf life.

Molds are saprophytes and grow on organic material. Molds are everywhere and are airborne. When the mold spores land they will germinate and grow on favorable environments. Mold can not create their own energy source and they can only grow on organic material because it supplies a source of carbohydrate because they can not photosynthesis. In a nutshell, organic matter is the food source for mold.

So there is a quick solution to this problem.

-Add 8 parts filtered water and 1 part vinegar.
-Gently stir and allow your berries to soak for 20 minutes.
-Drain and rinse berries and line a cookie sheet with paper towels and allow your berries to completely dry.
-Once dry, put them back in the containers and store in refrigerator.

The vinegar kills the mold spores and prevents them from growing on the berries.

TIP: Ever notice that if you just rinse the whole container of fruit with water and put it back in the fridge that the mold grows twice as fast?  That is because mold grows when it comes in contact with water so essentially you were feeding it!  The key is to kill it with the vinegar.