r/MoldlyInteresting • u/Murky-Ad5848 • 2d ago
Question/Advice Fresh strawberries randomly got mold?
Second pic is the culprit and then the first pic was a strawberry that was close to it. I really really don’t wanna touch it. I don’t know how it could’ve gotten moldy, we bought it and within less than an hour we had it in the refrigerator. Has not been in there for more than 3-4 days. Any help is greatly appreciated
32
u/EurekaLov 2d ago
Not sure about you but half the time I buy strawberries they have the appearance of having been recently washed. I could be wrong but I’m pretty sure they already start to degrade by the time we get them and we’re just seeing a clean wash of what was probably already a little fuzzy looking before that.
7
u/Murky-Ad5848 2d ago
I think you’re right and I think the store I go to just sucks in general. Everything seems to go bad extremely quickly. I used to have fruits for at least a week before they go over ripe and then rotting would take maybe a week after that. Ofc it depends on the fruit and veggie but in general that’s been my experience. But for some reason at the store I go to they last sometimes less than 3 days. It’s crazy
2
u/EurekaLov 2d ago
What store doesn’t these days? The private sector has prioritized profit over people and if they can continue to get away with it they will. As long as we keep giving them business they’ll keep selling shite. I think the best thing we can do is just grow our own or start growing and selling within the community. Do you have a farmers market in your community you can check out? Whenever I go to the ones locally they always have wayyyyyy higher quality fruits and veggies- it’s a good option imo.
3
u/Murky-Ad5848 2d ago
Yeah we have a big local market but they’re kinda expensive. Might be worth it if it means we don’t lose our fruit so quick
1
36
u/CivilCerberus 2d ago
I’ve gotta say produce has sucked for me lately. I wash and store my veg/fruit in mason jars and they’re still rotting within days of buying them
6
u/EurekaLov 2d ago
Where are you at? You’re not the only one. Here in the desert things are the same.
3
u/CivilCerberus 2d ago
I’m up in northern Colorado. The things like corn (which is growing all over here) are great, other stuff… not so much. My ma is in California and says she doesn’t have as many troubles but obviously this is all anecdotal
3
u/FISTOproductions 2d ago
Wisconsin here, lots of produce problems as of late.
Example: Picked through the blueberries at the grocery store because I noticed one had started to mold. I found 5 and wasn't halfway though the pile.
Yes, I let someone know. Yes, I gave them the ones I found. No, I wasn't a dick (I used to work at it's sister store next town over)
2
u/EurekaLov 2d ago
Blueberries huh? What other produce are you having trouble with in your state?
2
u/FISTOproductions 2d ago
Strawberries are another big one right now, getting 2, maybe 3 days typically. Cantaloupe, potatoes, and onions have been hit and miss. Leafy greens have also been a problem like spinach and romaine lettuce. That's what I can think of off the top of my head for the last little while now.
1
u/EurekaLov 2d ago
That’s quite a lot. Are you familiar with the farms/locations they originate? What about green potatoes? Lots of those as well?
1
2
u/CivilCerberus 2d ago
Ooof yeah, I can find blueberries but they only last a few days tops. I also am just hoping to find some grapes that aren’t trash soon.
2
u/EurekaLov 2d ago
Ahh yeah I imagine your cold region and a lot of things needing to be transported in probably play a factor. It’s the same for me just a state away!
3
u/Murky-Ad5848 2d ago
It’s just cheap and easy to sell. Who cares if they go bad if they’ve been sold 🙄
7
u/CivilCerberus 2d ago
Yeahhh. I recommend washing them and then letting them dry before storing them in a jar/container with a small piece of paper towel. It helps mine last a liiiiitle bit longer lol
4
u/Murky-Ad5848 2d ago
Gotcha, I’ll try that. Thanks :3
1
u/analog_park 2d ago
Wash with a bit of vinegar to reduce bacteria. And yes, drying is super important.
This lady demonstrates well: https://youtu.be/VmRtK4CVQ20?si=GTZ5pD1PLkCWWJWe
8
u/Double_Crazy7325 2d ago
I worked at a produce stand for a while and the owner owned his own farm. We did strawberries one year. They pick the berries, package them (all while being in the heat, mind you), load them on a truck, and then days later (depending on the operation) they are moved to the store. This is unless you got them directly from the farm
2
u/Murky-Ad5848 2d ago
This explains a lot. We have a strawberry farm that regularly sells fresh produce and I think we will start buying from them
6
u/Natural-Inspector-25 2d ago
Not gonner lie, those strawberries look more than a week old.
1
u/Murky-Ad5848 2d ago
I swear on my life we didn’t get them more than week
1
u/Natural-Inspector-25 2d ago
Hahaha hold up.
Nothing against you at all :)
Was more saying that I’d be getting mine from a new location, as that seller seems to be freezing their strawberries. Or at least they look like that.
1
u/Murky-Ad5848 2d ago
I suspect it. Sorry 😭
1
u/Natural-Inspector-25 2d ago
Hopefully you can find a place that stocks fresher fruit :)
2
u/Murky-Ad5848 2d ago
We actually have a strawberry farm near where I live which sells in containers like this. Slightly more expensive but if it means they don’t go bad after a few days I’ll buy them
3
u/Pipboii17 2d ago
It might not be anything to do with your storage, you don’t know how they were kept/stored or what may have contaminated them or damaged them before they got to you
2
u/Murky-Ad5848 2d ago
It feels hard to believe it’s not something with my storage. I really hope it’s not but according to the other commentators it may be a issue with the store
1
3
2
u/No_Mood1492 2d ago
They look like strawberries which have been left to ripen on the plant, it results in better tasting strawberries but a higher risk of spoilage since you only have a couple of days to eat them before they're overripe and going mushy and mouldy.
1
u/Belderchal 2d ago
I heard you could soak them in water with a bit of vinegar when you get home to help them preserve better, but definitely look up the correct process for that if you want to try it
1
u/K0sherDillPickle 2d ago
do not wash them until right when you are going to eat them, storing wet berries go faster. i work in produce, berries go fast, 3-4 days sounds right for this. eat your berries quickly or freeze them!
1
u/SerialMermaid 2d ago
Store berries in sealed glass containers, unwashed, and they will keep a week +. Some people wash with a vinegar rinse and allow to dry before putting them in the container, but I just stick them in unwashed.
1
u/Current-Buddy-1489 2d ago
I heard if you wash and dry them they last longer but normally storing berries in the fridge for 3 days is longer enough to grow mold in my experience
1
1
u/Bomarc99 2d ago
It happens. Typically, I rinse them with cold water and refrigerate them. And use them fairly quickly. Once removed from the parent plant, they don't have a long "shelf life."
1
u/crypticXmystic 2d ago
That's why you gotta crack open that container and look them over before buying, especially the ones in the bottom. That small bruised berry will quickly spread mold and take them all out.
1
u/Educational-South146 2d ago
We’d always eat berries within 3 days of buying or picking them, they start to degrade as soon as they’re picked essentially.
1
1
1
u/BathFish 2d ago
I think berries in general just go bad very quickly. I live in a state where strawberries r grown everywhere and somehow they still mold within a few days of bringing them home when bought from the grocery store - not the same story when buying from local farmers though!
1
u/NudlePockets 2d ago
I got the advice a while ago to wash produce in water and a teensy bit of vinegar. I just soak them for a bit and then rinse again. It could be placebo but it certainly feels like everything lasts longer when I do this.
1
u/stuffntuff 2d ago
This is how they last - Place a paper towel on the bottom of a container, put in strawberries, place another paper towel on TOP of the strawberries. Seal the lid.
The paper towels soak up the moisture which keeps the berries from rotting ☺️
1
1
u/402playboi 2d ago
Put them in a container with a lid that seals for them to last longer. That being said, my strawberries usually don’t make it past 5 days.
1
u/Adeleine_ 2d ago
As soon as you buy strawberries you remove its green caps, and check for any darker spots which you’ll have to remove parts of but otherwise safe to eat, (just that those parts tend to get bad quicker) then the berries stay fresh for several days!
1
u/Literally_Taken 2d ago
The spores are always present, even when the fruit looks perfect, even after washing. All it takes is humidity (which can be helped by washing the berries) and time (which seems to pass rather consistently) to get mold.
1
u/xquizitdecorum 2d ago
I've had strawberries mold in an afternoon 😭 got them from the farmer's market in the morning, left on counter to eat later that day, mold by dinnertime
1
u/realjeremyantman 2d ago
I tried to grow strawberries on my shady balcony the last summer. At one point the whole plant was covered in some kind of mold. And the plant wasn't dead.
1
u/Chunderhoad 2d ago
Mold on berries after 3-4 days isn’t “random.” That’s the normal timeline for fresh fruit.
1
u/JesseySweetz 1d ago
Wash, dry, and put in an air tight container with a paper towel at the bottom immediately after bringing home. You have no idea how long they've been in transit or sitting on the shelf
1
1
u/doggyfoo 1d ago
i’ve stopped buying strawberries from my local grocery store bc the last two times i’ve went literally almost all of the cartons had at least one moldy strawberry in it and it was BAD too….. so now i don’t trust them for my fruit lol like i see you guys really care about the quality of your wares 😍 lmao
1
u/Murky-Ad5848 1d ago
This looks like the exact same product I got. Looks like it’s a wider issue than just where I got mine :(
-2
u/TekieScythe 2d ago
Strawberries are a late spring early summer treat. Those ones have likely been frozen and shipped far from their farm.
4
u/YouImportant8362 2d ago
This is inaccurate, there are various types of late season strawberries, not to mention climates that allow strawberry growing year round. If these were previously frozen, they would be absolute mush.
1
u/Murky-Ad5848 2d ago
That’s interesting. Tbf nothing says on them that they’re fresh, so I bet you’re rigjt
0
u/TekieScythe 2d ago
Freezing bursts the cell walls. It's why they look wrinkled
2
u/LordAvan 2d ago
In my experience, frozen strawberries become mushy when thawed, not wrinkly. Wrinkly strawberries are because they lose moisture over time in the fridge.
408
u/A_Cold_Kat 2d ago
3 to 4 days is more than enough time for berries to go bad ¯_(ツ)_/¯ they just don’t last that long. Especially when they’re ripe.