Best place to get berries and keeping them fresh

tryingtosave2025

Hello,
Our youngest son is quite fussy and only fruit he will eat are raspberries and, at a push bananas but that's not very often. We also get blueberries and sometimes strawberries to go with breakfasts etc but find that particularly raspberries go off really quickly. I like to only do one food shop a week but they always have a really short date on them. Does anyone have any tips on how to keep them fresh longer and where to get them cheapest? He won't eat the frozen ones as they are too sour.
Thanks ☺️

weekendsaway

I only buy frozen and havent found them to be sour at all, indeed the ones from lidl are lush

Soft fruit really doesnt last more then 2/3 days - and a day of that is transporting  - which is why its picked unripe and ruddy tasteless. Seriously you are better off with frozen, picked and frozen within hours, keeping their nutrients and therefore health benefits

Emmia

I find (personally) that defrosted raspberries are identical to fresh in terms of flavour - perhaps it's the variety used in the ones you buy?

The trouble is, they're not in season at the moment, hence the cost.

FlorayG

You can't, that's why they are so expensive especially as they are now out of season and being imported by air. Berries shouldn't even be kept in the 'fridge. Your best option is to buy some raspberry canes and plant in your garden or just don't feed him fruit out of season. He doesn't need to eat fruit if he eats vegetables

mikb

FlorayG said:

buy some raspberry canes and plant in your garden or just don't feed him fruit out of season.

Buy some raspberry canes, more than you think you need, and freeze the excess yourself, then you can have properly ripened raspberries (home grown) that get picked, washed, frozen and pulled out for months afterwards.

Raspberries are still in season in my freezer, and will be to around February ...

sarah1972

Don’t buy raspberry canes unless you are happy for them to be there forever! I have lots over the allotment but also an area that was cleared of them and they take forever to thoroughly get rid of them as they send underground runners 

Rosa_Damascena

sarah1972 said:

Don’t buy raspberry canes unless you are happy for them to be there forever! I have lots over the allotment but also an area that was cleared of them and they take forever to thoroughly get rid of them as they send underground runners 

If you do wish to grow your own in the summer, pick a red variety without thorns (brambles are my nemesis).

Re: fresh berries, I can vouch for this method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk4L_f0ZkuI&list=PL7AD8EDF5E0FB35BC&index=45&ab_channel=ShowMeTheCurry.com