Expert Advice on Buying Fresh Berries and Dealing With Mold

Expert Advice, on Buying Fresh Berries, and Dealing With Mold.
You know when you buy berries at the store
and get home only to find one of them is moldy? .
What do you do? .
'The New York Times' recently consulted some
food safety experts for a definitive answer. .
According to those experts, while you should
never eat berries that are obviously moldy,
any without visible signs of spores are fine to eat. .
According to those experts, while you should
never eat berries that are obviously moldy,
any without visible signs of spores are fine to eat. .
Benjamin Chapman, a professor and food safety
specialist at North Carolina State University, points out
that its pretty easy to spot berries with mold growth.
After tossing the obviously moldy berries,
carefully inspect other berries for fuzz. .
Mold fuzz will usually form around where the stem attaches to the berry or around any bruises. .
Once you're satisfied your berries have been well vetted,
try to eat them soon as lingering mold spores could
spread and develop more mold in one or two days. .
Dr. Chapman also recommends cleaning your fridge regularly, “to break the mold spore cycle,", as spores can settle and survive on surfaces. .
This means that if you discover something moldy in your fridge, it might be time to clean in order to prevent spores from spreading to other foods. .
The U.S.D.A. recommends using a tablespoon
of baking soda dissolved in a quart of water
to clean your fridge every few months.