Cleaning blueberries before eating them is important to avoid the risk of ingesting mold, bacteria or pesticides. The easiest way to wash them is to rinse them under a gentle stream of cold running water or, for a more thorough cleaning, you can use vinegar. Discard the rotten blueberries and dry the ones that are good to eat to prevent them from wilting or forming mold while refrigerating them.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Wash the Blueberries with Water
Step 1. Check for spoiled blueberries or foreign bodies
Discard blueberries that are best not eaten together with the leaves and any other foreign bodies. Eliminate blueberries that have greenish spots as, if it is mold, they could pass it on to other fruits. Cranberries are unripe, so discard them along with wilted or crushed ones.
- To be good to eat, blueberries need to be firm and a nice dark blue color.
- Feel the blueberries while you wash them and discard any that are soft or too soft.
Step 2. Transfer the blueberries to a colander
You can also use the colander as long as the holes are not too big. Fill it with blueberries being careful not to drop them.
As you transfer them to the colander, check that you have removed all the leaves
Step 3. Rinse the blueberries under cold running water
Put the colander in the sink and open the tap slightly to rinse the blueberries. Be careful; if the water jet is too strong, it could damage the blueberries. Hold the colander and rinse the blueberries briefly with cold water. Make sure the water also reaches the blueberries at the bottom of the colander.
Since blueberries are very delicate, if you want to be even more cautious, you can immerse the colander in a bowl filled with cold water
Step 4. Shake the colander to drain the blueberries from the water
Move it sideways to drain the blueberries. If you have soaked them in a bowl, you can strain them off the surface of the water and then shake it to drain.
It is important that blueberries do not soak in the water for long, otherwise they will become mushy and unpleasant to eat
Method 2 of 3: Wash the Blueberries with Vinegar
Step 1. Discard any mushy or moldy blueberries
Examine them by hand for possible signs of deterioration. Unripe or moldy ones are easy to identify as the former are red and the latter green. Also discard wilted or crushed blueberries.
Try to discard the mushy blueberries as well, but don't worry if you can't spot all of them. You will have the option to discard them later as you wash them
Step 2. Fill a bowl half full with cold water
You can use any large container, for example that of the salad spinner. If there are a lot of blueberries and you don't have a large enough container, you can soak them directly in the sink. If using a bowl, pour 750ml of cold water into it.
Step 3. Add a part of vinegar to make blueberries last longer
Use it in a ratio of 1: 3 to water. In this concentration you will be sure that it can kill mold and bacteria. You can use the classic white wine vinegar. Once washed, blueberries will last longer in the refrigerator.
- For example, if you used 750ml of water, add 250ml of white wine vinegar.
- Instead of vinegar you can use a food disinfectant; you can find it in the pharmacy.
Step 4. Add the blueberries
Pour them into the water and vinegar solution. If the bowl isn't large enough to hold all of them, set some aside. Afterward, make a new blend and wash them as you did the previous ones.
Step 5. Swirl the blueberries in the water for one minute
Move them gently with your hands inside the bowl. Make sure you rinse them all evenly.
You can soak the blueberries in the vinegar water solution for 5-10 minutes to make sure they are perfectly clean. However, you have to bear in mind that some may get mushy
Step 6. Drain the blueberries from the water
The simplest way is to take them out of the water directly with the colander. Alternatively, you can pour the entire contents of the bowl into the colander.
Remember that if you leave them to soak in water, the blueberries may become mushy; better drain them immediately
Step 7. Rinse the blueberries with cold water
Rinse them briefly under cold running water to prevent them from tasting vinegar. Make sure the vinegar smell is no longer noticeable before continuing.
Use a gentle stream of water to avoid damaging the blueberries as you rinse them
Method 3 of 3: Dry the Blueberries
Step 1. Line a baking sheet with kitchen paper
Place the blotting paper on the bottom of the plate. The edges of the plate will contain excess water and the paper will slowly absorb it.
If you don't have a suitable size plate, you can leave the blueberries in the colander or bowl and pat them dry with paper towels
Step 2. Distribute the blueberries evenly across the plate
Make sure they do not overlap, they must form a single homogeneous layer on the sheets of absorbent paper. If there are a lot of blueberries, you can dry them several times.
Step 3. Gently blot the blueberries with paper towels
Take a sheet of kitchen paper and place it gently on top of the blueberries. Dab them very gently to absorb excess water on the surface. If they are firm enough, you can roll them slightly. If necessary, replace the wet sheet of paper with a dry one.
- If there are only a few blueberries left in the bowl or colander, you can dry them by rolling them on paper towels.
- Try to absorb as much water as possible to prevent it from soaking the blueberries.
Advice
- Wash blueberries only when you are ready to eat them and calculate the portions well to avoid having to put them in the refrigerator wet.
- The best blueberries are firm and a nice dark blue color with purplish undertones.
- Store blueberries in the refrigerator or freezer. Place them in an airtight container lined with paper towels.
- When unripe blueberries are red and have a sour taste.
