The key to preventing moldy berries

Berries, particularly super-fresh berries, are wonderful, aren't they?

But they're also kind of delicate. Raspberries in particular seem like they can mold before you even get them home from the market. There's nothing more disappointing than paying $4 for a pint of local raspberries, only to look in the fridge the next day and find that fuzzy mold growing on their insides.

Wanna know how to prevent berries from getting moldy?

Wash them with vinegar!

When you get your berries home, prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider) and ten parts water. Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. Drain, rinse if you want (though the mixture is so diluted you can't taste the vinegar), pat dry with a paper towel, and put in the fridge.

The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit, and voila! Raspberries will last a week or more, and I've had strawberries go almost two weeks without getting moldy and soft. So go forth and stock up on those pricey little gems, knowing they'll stay fresh as long as it takes you to eat them.