Hi all. I pick my strawberries when they look, firstly finished growing and secondly very red all over. They taste great but they wont keep! in 24/48 hours post picking they are over ripe. I have tried keeping them in everything from the fridge to the bench but it is always the same. The store strawberries don’t seem to have the same prob. Any ideas as to when to pick a strawberry in order to enhance storage life? While I am on the subject can you help me on when to pick mini mama capsicums?

Thanks, by the way, for your help when I can’t contribute much in the way of input!

pete said:

Hi all. I pick my strawberries when they look, firstly finished growing and secondly very red all over. They taste great but they wont keep! in 24/48 hours post picking they are over ripe. I have tried keeping them in everything from the fridge to the bench but it is always the same. The store strawberries don’t seem to have the same prob. Any ideas as to when to pick a strawberry in order to enhance storage life? While I am on the subject can you help me on when to pick mini mama capsicums?

Thanks, by the way, for your help when I can’t contribute much in the way of input!

you have to dip it in fungicides and stuff that you wouldn’t want to know you are eating..

OK just share them with the slaters and slugs.. best way

roughbarked said:

pete said:

Hi all. I pick my strawberries when they look, firstly finished growing and secondly very red all over. They taste great but they wont keep! in 24/48 hours post picking they are over ripe. I have tried keeping them in everything from the fridge to the bench but it is always the same. The store strawberries don’t seem to have the same prob. Any ideas as to when to pick a strawberry in order to enhance storage life? While I am on the subject can you help me on when to pick mini mama capsicums?

Thanks, by the way, for your help when I can’t contribute much in the way of input!

you have to dip it in fungicides and stuff that you wouldn’t want to know you are eating.. OK just share them with the slaters and slugs.. best way

real strawbs have a short shelf life. so always eat them within two days of picking.
pick them in the morning coolth – not during the heat of the day.
the very best strawbs have soft skin (e.g. ‘cambridge vigour’) and they don’t even last a day after picking before going mouldy – but the taste is fantastic.

The rain that I’m not complaining about is causing my srawberries to become watery and in some cases the skin has even split. From all the water I’m guessing. Flavour is wishy washy and unappetising. A shame because there are some good sized berries amongst them.

pomolo said:

The rain that I’m not complaining about is causing my srawberries to become watery and in some cases the skin has even split. From all the water I’m guessing. Flavour is wishy washy and unappetising. A shame because there are some good sized berries amongst them.

yes.. one should pick thestrawbs before rain.

though strawbs can be picked in frost as well

I have often picked frozen strawberries.. they just have to be eaten before they thaw completely.

I’m trying to figure out how many strawberries Pete must be picking, in order for them to even make it to the kitchen. Let alone go over ripe in the fridge.
Strawberries are like peas. They shouldn’t make it to the kitchen. There’s actually an unwritten gardening law that you should scoff any and all the strawberries you can, while pretending to weed or something.
If all else fails, and you have eaten as much in the garden as you possibly can and you are sick of strawberry smoothies and strawberry and ice cream, then blend ‘em and freeze the pulp. You can use it thru the year when there are no strawberries. Or make a strawberry liqueur. Just for a nightcap.

Our strawberries get picked and eaten on the same day. I like to wait until there’s enough ripe for a dessert. Yummo.

My strawberries are either all dead or what is left scorch everyday because I simplly cannot keep the water up to them.

I’ll be planting them in an old bathtub or laundry tub from now on.

I’d like a couple of tubs or strawberry pots for growing them in, rather than the aoil. Then I can move them round in the garden if needed.

My strawberries are all in pots, some on shelving and some on the ground. They are protected from birds by a wooden frame covered in bird netting. It’s a good setup but has to be modified so that they are all on shelving. Can’t hack the bending any more!!

Longy said:

I’m trying to figure out how many strawberries Pete must be picking, in order for them to even make it to the kitchen. Let alone go over ripe in the fridge.
Strawberries are like peas. They shouldn’t make it to the kitchen. There’s actually an unwritten gardening law that you should scoff any and all the strawberries you can, while pretending to weed or something.
If all else fails, and you have eaten as much in the garden as you possibly can and you are sick of strawberry smoothies and strawberry and ice cream, then blend ‘em and freeze the pulp. You can use it thru the year when there are no strawberries. Or make a strawberry liqueur. Just for a nightcap.

I’m with you Longy! We rarely get any make it into the kitchen… we scoff ‘em out in the garden..likewise with cherry toms

AnneS said:

Longy said:

I’m trying to figure out how many strawberries Pete must be picking, in order for them to even make it to the kitchen. Let alone go over ripe in the fridge.
Strawberries are like peas. They shouldn’t make it to the kitchen. There’s actually an unwritten gardening law that you should scoff any and all the strawberries you can, while pretending to weed or something.
If all else fails, and you have eaten as much in the garden as you possibly can and you are sick of strawberry smoothies and strawberry and ice cream, then blend ‘em and freeze the pulp. You can use it thru the year when there are no strawberries. Or make a strawberry liqueur. Just for a nightcap.

I’m with you Longy! We rarely get any make it into the kitchen… we scoff ‘em out in the garden..likewise with cherry toms

My mother used to pull her hair out.. she’d be cooking and say pleas go and get me some peas from the garden.. off I’d go be out there for a while come back and Mum would say.. well where are the peas?

i’d say I ate them Mum would reply but I wanted them to cook

My answer always was, I don’t like cooked peas.

roughbarked said:

i’d say I ate them

We eat most of our peas and beans straight from the plan too

AnneS said:

roughbarked said:

i’d say I ate them

We eat most of our peas and beans straight from the plan too

peas should be fine because we open the pod and take them out unless they are snow peas or snap peas.

However washing veg before you eat it is a really sensible idea.

I’m with longy, strawberries are for consuming within seconds of harvest. Speaking of which, my old neighbour has given me some strawberry plants for our Mangolia :)

pain master said:

I’m with longy, strawberries are for consuming within seconds of harvest. Speaking of which, my old neighbour has given me some strawberry plants for our Mangolia :)

Cool PM :)
I too eat the strawbs as I pick them. I have a bowlful that will be my brekky this morn, with a spoonful of yogurt.

One would need many many plants in order to have a big harvest for a crowd, and picked that day.

pain master said:

I’m with longy, strawberries are for consuming within seconds of harvest. Speaking of which, my old neighbour has given me some strawberry plants for our Mangolia :)

yes – it’s best to forage on a typical backyard strawb crop – if you do have a lot of excess – than invite your mum over to make strawb jam – yum yum yum!!!

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

pete said:

Hi all. I pick my strawberries when they look, firstly finished growing and secondly very red all over. They taste great but they wont keep! in 24/48 hours post picking they are over ripe. I have tried keeping them in everything from the fridge to the bench but it is always the same. The store strawberries don’t seem to have the same prob. Any ideas as to when to pick a strawberry in order to enhance storage life? While I am on the subject can you help me on when to pick mini mama capsicums?

Thanks, by the way, for your help when I can’t contribute much in the way of input!

you have to dip it in fungicides and stuff that you wouldn’t want to know you are eating.. OK just share them with the slaters and slugs.. best way

real strawbs have a short shelf life. so always eat them within two days of picking.
pick them in the morning coolth – not during the heat of the day.
the very best strawbs have soft skin (e.g. ‘cambridge vigour’) and they don’t even last a day after picking before going mouldy – but the taste is fantastic.

Thanks all for the help about the strawberries – I get it that they don’t last long due to a few reasons but mainly cause they taste great and really don’t have a shelf life. I hope the store bought stuff is not too bad!! Reason why I want to keep some is that my grandkids come over all the time but not always when the strawberries are ready to go so I have tried to keep some for them. Oh well if I have to eat them so be it!

pete said:

pepe said:

roughbarked said:

you have to dip it in fungicides and stuff that you wouldn’t want to know you are eating.. OK just share them with the slaters and slugs.. best way

real strawbs have a short shelf life. so always eat them within two days of picking.
pick them in the morning coolth – not during the heat of the day.
the very best strawbs have soft skin (e.g. ‘cambridge vigour’) and they don’t even last a day after picking before going mouldy – but the taste is fantastic.

Thanks all for the help about the strawberries – I get it that they don’t last long due to a few reasons but mainly cause they taste great and really don’t have a shelf life. I hope the store bought stuff is not too bad!! Reason why I want to keep some is that my grandkids come over all the time but not always when the strawberries are ready to go so I have tried to keep some for them. Oh well if I have to eat them so be it!

You should have grokked that they can be frozen or even dried.. and still retain taste

They don’t last terribly long after they are thawed however.

roughbarked said:

pete said:

pepe said:

real strawbs have a short shelf life. so always eat them within two days of picking.
pick them in the morning coolth – not during the heat of the day.
the very best strawbs have soft skin (e.g. ‘cambridge vigour’) and they don’t even last a day after picking before going mouldy – but the taste is fantastic.

Thanks all for the help about the strawberries – I get it that they don’t last long due to a few reasons but mainly cause they taste great and really don’t have a shelf life. I hope the store bought stuff is not too bad!! Reason why I want to keep some is that my grandkids come over all the time but not always when the strawberries are ready to go so I have tried to keep some for them. Oh well if I have to eat them so be it!

You should have grokked that they can be frozen or even dried.. and still retain taste

They don’t last terribly long after they are thawed however.

I never thought strawberrries could be frozen – will do from now on. Can eat them straight away with the grandkids aopn thawing – cheers for that info

While they are still connected to the plant they survive frosts and even ripen albeit slowly with less development of taste.

I freeze many fruits as purees or juices but they are use instantly when thawed. Freezer charts will show how long you can freeze things for.