Yum! Raspberry season! I love to throw fresh raspberries into my yogurt or oatmeal in the morning, and frozen berries are great in smoothies. But how do you keep them fresh?

I was getting so frustrated when I’d by a pint of raspberries and 2 days later, half of them would be moldy. What a waste! If I was going to keep up my raspberry addiction for the summer, I had to start doing something different.

Here is what has worked for me:

I just bought two huge containers of raspberries that were buy one get one free. First I threw out any berries with a hint of mold. Then I made a box of berries for me to eat fresh this week by lining a box with a paper towel and putting only perfect, dry berries in there in a single layer. I’m usually the only one eating them, so I didn’t need to many. I close the lid and stick them in the fruit drawer. I’ve had them easily last 5-7 days this way. I always choose the softest ones to eat first when I do this.

Because I bought so many, I planned to freeze a lot of them. If I didn’t, then any crushed or mushy berries would be eaten the day they came home, as those are the first to start molding. This time, I tossed the softest ones into the blender and made a mango-raspberry smoothie. For the rest, I just washed them and put them in a container to freeze.

What do you do to keep your raspberries and other fruit fresh longer? The NY Times has an article suggesting you bathe your berries in hot water when you get them home. I’d love more tips!