washing soft fruit

[Dave & Kate N Wales]

Please can anyone tell me the best way to wash my soft fruit once i have picked it. My tayberries and raspberries do not like being washed and go all soggy but can't eat them or store in fridge without washing as the tayberry bush is covered in little spiders and their threads and greenfly too.
Thanks in advance
Katie

[rustylady]

Can't you just store them dry until you're ready to eat them and then just give them a quick rinse? I don't usually wash mine, and quite often eat them while I'm at the lottie straight off the bush.

[supermum]

cover them in clingfilm until you want to eat them, and then wash them........

[Alison]

I don't bother washing mine, just brush off any specs of dirt and eat, as I don't spray with anything I don't really see the need.

Sorry, just noticed your comment re spiders, don't have that problem so have never had to think of a solution.

[starloc]

i just eat them straight from the plants,
spiders and flys..... i dont look for..... so unless there large, or a lot of them unless i see them, then they usualy add a bit of nutrition

[Dave & Kate N Wales]

hubby says there was an insect crawling round his bowl of raspberries yesterday!!!!!
Also don't trust the neigbours cats as have seen some of them spraying off the wall - they use our garden as a short cut and tend to spray on anything in passing, i have to blockade my childrens playhouse when they're not in it otherwise they spray that inside and out too. The raspberries are probably ok not to be washed but couldn't eat the tayberries without washing them

[Flummery]

I'm a non-washer too unless they need it. A rinse in Milton solution usually does no harm if you want to wash them. My immune system gets regularly challenged!

[Nykied]

I freeze my blackberries (we have LOTS!) straight from the plant, then wash them when they've defrosted. Any bugs are killed by the freezer.

[jackie j]

I always wash my fruit, I put them in a small sieve and rinse them, they are fine. I dont use sprays or anything.

[Lulubelle]

I always wash blackberries as we pick them in the woods. Just rinse them in a colander, pat dry on kitchen roll, then freeze on a baking tray before putting in bags to stop them sticking together. I don't usually wash raspberries but I do look inside to check for maggots!

[newbieveggie]

I always wash blackberries as we pick them in the woods. Just rinse them in a colander, pat dry on kitchen roll, then freeze on a baking tray before putting in bags to stop them sticking together. I don't usually wash raspberries but I do look inside to check for maggots!

Maggots ??? Ive never checked, do they get them ? OMG have I been eating maggots ?? urgh bleuch eek feel a tad sick now....

[Lulubelle]

Don't worry Newbieveggie, they don't often have them. My Dad's grown raspberries for years and after a particularly bad experience, I always check!

[chris]

hmm. I think I'll start checking now too.

[roadkill]

none washer here to , a few of mine have like a little maggot or caterpillar in them but it still goes in my hole good protein if you ask me , also the pea moth is quite nice