Strawberries and blueberries are regularly touted as consensus health foods. But when a woman shared her hack for determining fresh strawberries and blueberries at a grocery store, every chimed in with opinions for making the fruits last.
TikTok user Meredith Alston (@naptown_thrifts) posts a variety of content for her 34,000 followers, from skincare routines to clothing pointers. This time, she revealed a hack for buying fresh strawberries and blueberries at the grocery store. Alston provided some context, stating that whenever her husband buys berries, “they last so much longer” and “taste so much better” than the ones she purchases. The secret? “He flips them over” and “buys whichever ones don’t stick to the bottom of the carton.”
@naptown_thrifts I just buy the ones that dont look moldy and gross but apparently, he has a whole system!! #sustainableshopping #sustainableliving #reducefoodwasteathome #shopsmartshopsustainable ♬ Lucky Girl – Carlina
The Daily Dot reached out to Alston via email, TikTok comment, and direct message. The video amassed 1.4 million views this weekend, with viewers stating how already knew this trick.
“Been doing this for years. I’ll stand and check them all till I get the right one,” one viewer wrote.
“I always do this, especially with tomatoes,” a second agreed.
“lmfao yup this is the trick!!! I be analyzing each box of berries like a scientist,” a third concurred.
Some revealed tactics on how they discover fresh berries.
“Anything moldy, overripe, or smashed gets put back. You can also smell them. They should smell slightly sweet, no off smells or sickly sweet odors,” one user said.
‘I eat one of them out of the pack and if it tastes good I keep them lol,” a second commented.
“Grab the ones in the back. More than likely those are the ones that were recently pulled out,” a third recommended.
Others shared different methods of keeping berries fresh.
“great tip! my best tip is soak them in water with grapefruit seed extract powder, they’ll last for weeks!” one person shared.
“Wash them in vinegar & water at home, dry and store airtight they last a long time,” a second advised.
“Store them in mason jars once they’re cleaned and stems removed. Literally will last ages,” a third stated.
So, how can you tell if you’ve chosen a bad batch of fruit? The answer is simple: weight, smell, color, and firmness are the biggest indicators of rotten fruit. The fruit becomes heavier, soft, and squishy as they ripen. In addition, their colors are bright with a juicy and sweet scent, per HueTrition.
And remember: One bad fruit contaminates the entire batch.