The Strawberry Rescue

Have you ever stuck your hand in a fridge and pulled out your favorite box of strawberries just to find it covered in a white substance? Well, meet mold. Mold likes to colonize any bad food, including that box of strawberries. Many molds produce toxins that can make you sick. Mold prefers warm environments, typically 77 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. While keeping food in the fridge lengthens its shelf life, some mold species can still grow below 40 degrees. Always check your items before eating. It will be fine to eat after you cleanse them with a vinegar and water bath (3 parts water, 1 part vinegar).

But what happens when you pull out that box of strawberries and find only one or two strawberries that are moldy? Well, most people throw away the whole carton of strawberries. But, in reality, there is no need to throw away the whole box. According to the USDA, one or two strawberries don’t ruin the whole bunch. You just need to throw away the strawberries touching the moldy one. The rest are innocent, and will be fine after the vinegar bath. All of them are bad though, if you find that more than 25% of the box is moldy.

Oh no! You ate the moldy one!

Oh no! You accidentally ate the moldy strawberry! What will happen now? In the unlikely event of that happening, it’s probably not the end of your life. In fact, you probably won’t experience any problems at all. A little bit of mold won’t spoil your digestive system. But, if you ate an extremely moldy berry, you might experience symptoms such as stomach ache and nausea.

How do these villains creep into our fridges?

Well, the answer lies in YOU! You see, mold travels through the air, in the guise of tiny spores, ready to infect any fruit they find that’s damp enough for them to survive. When you’re opening the fridge, you’re essentially letting the mold inside, allowing them to wreak havoc. They sure are sneaky!

Why does vinegar work?

Well, now that we know exactly how our villains creep inside, how do we know that vinegar is really the best way to clean everything? After all, if the spores infect one strawberry, why wouldn’t they jump to another one and infect that one too with their evil coat? Technically, they can! That’s why it’s recommended to remove the strawberries in contact with the victim. The reason vinegar works best is because of its acidic nature. It helps remove the spores AND most-wanted #2: bacteria, the ones that cause rotting.

How to keep the invaders OUT

Truly, the best way to prevent invaders in your box of strawberries is to prevent moisture and keep it cold. The best way to do this is to completely dry the strawberries after washing them, put them back in the box, and allow air to come inside (also: never overstuff!). And be sure to never let grocery items stay on the kitchen counter for longer than 2 hours before putting them in the fridge.

So, next time you take strawberries out of your fridge to find a mysterious fluffy coat lying inside, be sure to take your precautions! 🍓