|
Neubauer Artists LLC Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... |
The hashtag #strawberrybugs is currently going viral on TikTok and Instagram, spoiling the taste of many fruit lovers. The trend promises to rid the sweet berries of these invisible inhabitants. The method: Place the strawberries in a bowl of strongly salted water and wait.
The result is a real shock for many: After just a few minutes, tiny white creatures crawl out of the fruit’s pores . Creepy? Definitely! But is that really a reason to panic?
Before you swear off strawberries forever: Take a deep breath. What’s crawling out of the fruit is perfectly natural. It’s usually tiny fruit fly larvae, which often lay their eggs in the fruit in the field, long before it arrives at the supermarket. This isn’t just true for strawberries. The little creatures also like to make themselves at home in peaches, nectarines, and figs. In short: It’s simply nature.
Why a salt bath is a bad idea
As effective as salt water may be at repelling insects, it’s a disaster for the strawberries themselves. The salt quickly draws water out of the delicate fruit. The result? Instead of a crisp, sweet summer fruit, you suddenly have a pale, limp, mushy berry with absolutely no flavor. The taste is washed away. What a waste.
Neither the tiny eggs nor the larvae pose a health problem. Even if the thought might temporarily spoil our appetite, the creatures are completely harmless.
How to wash strawberries properly
Leave the salt in the cupboard. If you want crisp, aromatic, and clean strawberries, wash them like this:
Gently pat dry after bathing. Store the berries loosely on a paper towel and do not seal them in airtight plastic containers.
Remove moldy berries immediately, otherwise the spores will quickly spread to the other fruits.
Place the berries in a bowl of cold water with a splash of vinegar. This reliably kills mold spores and gently cleans them. Never rinse them under hard, running water. Strawberries are extremely delicate and bruise easily.
Remove the green leaves only after washing! If you tear them off beforehand, the strawberry will lose water and its delicious aroma.
A gentle vinegar-water bath ensures you’re on the safe side and can enjoy your strawberries exactly as they should be: sweet, juicy and wonderfully aromatic.
ER Cleans the fruits
Found an error in the article? Report it now.
About The Author
