[fun, easy music] Ripe strawberries are a treat, but they can go from perfect to bad overnight.

These simple steps will keep your berries fresh for days perhaps up to two weeks.

It's easy.

Make a vinegar bath with one part vinegar to three parts water, and yes, the ordinary vinegar you keep in the kitchen cabinet eliminates bacteria and mold spores on the berries, which helps them stay fresh.

Soak the whole berries, with their caps still on, for ten minutes.

Drain the berries in a colander and rinse them well under cool, running water, which removes any lingering traces of the vinegar.

It's important to dry the berries as thoroughly as possible after their bath, because clinging moisture is the enemy of ripe berries.

I like to use my salad spinner.

Line the basket with paper towels to cushion the berries, then put on the lid and take them for a spin until they are completely dry.

Instead of putting the berries back into the container they came in, place them in a sealable container lined with paper towels, and leave the lid partially open to avoid trapping moisture.

Then into the fridge they go.

That's it, it's absolutely worth a couple minutes of time to make our ripe strawberries last longer.

[fun, easy music]