Do Cranberries Go Bad?

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Cranberries are one of the most delicious sour fruits you can find. When they are harvested during cold seasons like fall, they grow sweeter than sour, becoming a palate’s delicacy. You can enjoy cranberries in different ways you can make from juices to jellies, from cookies to cakes, and from dressings to liqueurs.

No matter how cranberries are always a great option. They don’t last forever, so you need to know when they go bad, store them properly, and how much they last, to be aware of everything necessary in optimum usage terms.

How to store Cranberries

When you get your cranberries, it is time to save them if you do not plan to consume them immediately. After all, cranberries are still fruits, and as such, they are perishable. That is why you should take precautions to don’t let them get spoiled.

Maybe when you search for some cranberries, you will find them at organic goods fairs in bulks or packaging bags store’s shelves at room temperature. Still, it is supposed to be that way because it shows them to potential customers interested in buying them, not storing them.

When it comes to storing cranberries, a general rule is to refrigerate them. For this purpose, it is not necessary to follow complex methodologies or apply complicated procedures. What you should do when you buy them is store them in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator.

If you buy cranberries that come in batches or heaps and do not have any packaging or bag, you must store them in airtight containers or freezer bags before refrigerating them.

Suppose it turns out that you have obtained more cranberries than you think to consume for a while, and you get bored of eating them as the entire fruit; In that case, you have options. Another way to save them is to turn them up into other things such as juices and jellies. That’s another possibility about how you can preserve them and get other options to add to your menu at lunchtime.

Remember that if you prepare your cranberries in any of these ways, you must store them properly, whatever the case may be, and you may need to use glass bottles or jars to store what you make with the cranberries.

Following these simple rules, you can get to keep your cranberries for a couple of weeks, during which you can enjoy them without any problem when you go to prepare a dessert or drink dish.

Can You Freeze Cranberries?

When it comes to preserving things in the long term, freezing them is a good way to do it. In the case of cranberries, it also applies. It is a fact that everyone who has ever had to handle cranberries for cooking agrees that it works.

Properly freezing your cranberries doesn’t require any complicated procedures. If your cranberries come in their bags, you have to leave them there and put them in the freezer. In case they do not have their bags, you must put them in some, seal them properly, and then store them, then freeze.

How Long Does Cranberries Last

As we already mentioned, cranberries are fruits, after all, so they do not have a long shelf life. That is why they must be refrigerated. If you do this, you will be able to extend their life span a couple of weeks.

When you buy your cranberries in a store, they usually come packaged. These packages usually have labels in which it is recommended that it be consumed before the date printed on it expires.

Of course, what determines how long cranberries can last is the quality of the preparation you applied in the methods to preserve them. Also, it depends on whether their packages are open or closed:

If they are closed, they can last in the pantry for about four days, in the refrigerator for about a month, and in the freezer, they can get about a year.

If they are open, the cranberries won’t keep at room temperature for more than two days, about four days if they are in the fridge, and about a month if they are in the freezer.

How to Tell If Cranberries Is Bad

Once your cranberries have been stored for some time, it is normal to worry that they may have spoiled, so you should take precautions before consuming them.

To avoid any illness or poisoning from eating spoiled cranberries, you should take the time to review them and look for signs. If the cranberries have lost or changed their characteristic bright red color or their texture suddenly becomes soft and wrinkled, or if they even develop an odor sour or unpleasant, you should toss them.

If your cranberries are stored properly at all times, and they do not show any sign that they are in bad condition, which means that you can consume them without fear that you will get sick.