Life can be very hectic. Learning to slow down, smell the roses, pick the berries is something I am working on. So many times I rush through the market grabbing the things I need to rush home and make the things I want. But there are times when I pause to look around me at all the beautiful colors nature has provided for us in our fruits and vegetables. It is the rainbow and I am grateful for it!

My Mom taught me to thunk the melons, smell the strawberries and squeeze the citrus to get the freshest and sweetest fruits. I do that to this day so when I bring my well-felt and sniffed fruit home I want it to last so I can savor every piece.

Berries seem to be the most fickle and delicate of fruits and tend to mold so fast. My mother-in-law sent me a tip this morning that I just had to share. Amazingly it uses one of my favorite all purpose things in my kitchen. Vinegar! From cleaning, to dressings, to marinades and health cures, it does it all. But I had never used it on berries, other than a splash of balsamic on strawberries for a quick dessert.

Now my berries are going to have a vinegar bath and we shall all be so much happier and live longer…without mold, thanks to the magic of vinegar and my MIL Jeanne! 

When you get your berries home, prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider probably work best) and ten parts water.  

Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. Drain, rinse if you want (though the mixture is so diluted you can’t taste the vinegar,) and pop in the fridge.  

The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit, and Magic! Raspberries will last a week or more, and strawberries go almost two weeks without getting moldy and soft. 

Sharing makes me happy so most of the berries went into the refrigerator and some went onto my husbands breakfast (gluten free) waffle. Makes him happy too!