How to Select and Store Raspberries

How to select Raspberries

The key point in raspberries is that they are extremely fragile and perishable: your greatest care should be concentrated on purchasing them only one or two days prior to use.

The best season to purchase raspberries is from july to october.

The best berries are those that are plump, with vibrant colors and firm, and you should definitely avoid those that are mushy and moldy, as they will spoil very quickly.

Raspberries usually come in packages: make sure they aren't packed too tighly or they will be crushed. Also make sure that the container doesn't carry water at the bottom: it's a sign of spoilage.

How to Store Raspberries

Storage is just as important as proper selection: your attention should be focused on removing any berries that are spoiled or molded, as they tend to contaminate the other, healthy, berries.

You can keep raspberries in the refrigerator for a couple of days. The correct way to store them is to remove spoilt berries, wash the rest thoroughly with water (paying attention not to damage them), then spread them on a plate and cover it with plastic wrap.

In general, the only way to store them is to either put them in the refrigerator or freezing them: raspberries spoil quickly at room temperature, especially if it's hot and humid and they're exposed to sunlight.

Frozen raspberries keep for up to a year

To freeze them, wash them with a sink sprayer (at the lowest pressure, so as not to crush the berries) and dry them with a paper towel or napkin. Again, spread them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and leave them in the freezer for 6-8 hours.

Frozen berries can withstand more mechanical pressure, so you can now remove them from the plate and put them, in a plastic bag, back in the freezer. A common trick is to sprinkle lemon juice on them to prevent oxidation and keep a vibrant color.

Properly frozen, berries can last up to a year, especially if you add lemon juice.

Anthocyanins

Tthe Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry has published a study that found anthocyanins were almost undetectable in canned foods, even those prepared from fruits high in anthocyanins, such as blueberries.

These substances are very healthy, but unfortunately very unstable even at a neutral pH and therefore very susceptible to destruction during processing. If your aim is to benefit from the high content of anthocyanins in raspberries, you should purchase fresh or frozen berries and purée them.