A viral hack has once again proved the age-old adage 'mother knows best', with an Australian mum sharing a simple but effective solution for storing fruits as Aussies and Kiwis gear up for summer produce.
Andie Barber, who goes by the username @andiebarber1 on TikTok, shared her top tip for preserving fresh berries to widespread acclaim.
In the clip, which has been viewed more than 60,000 times in three days, Barber revealed a hack she learned from her grandmother to prolong the life of the fickle fruits.
"Tell me I'm not the only one who didn't know this?!" she captioned the clip.
"My nanna was recently staying at our house... and my daughter loves berries - loves berries. We buy them from Woolies, just in these containers," she said, holding up the stock-standard plastic punnet fresh berries are typically sold in.
"But they always go off after a couple of days," she lamented. "So my nanna said, 'Why don't you just store them in glass jars?' And I was like, 'I don't know nanna. Why don't I store them in glass jars?'
"So I tried it. I tested it. I had some strawberries in this glass jar... Look at the strawberry," Barber continued, holding up a plump, perfectly red berry to illustrate.
"It's perfect. It's been in the fridge for probably nearly two weeks."
In the comments, Barber confirmed she had tested the hack on strawberries, blackberries and blueberries to resounding success, as long as the lid of the jar is tightly sealed.
And the tip has stunned viewers, with many hailing Barber's grandmother for lifting the lid on the simple secret.
"I had no idea. I'm definitely trying this. Thank you for sharing," one wrote, with a second adding: "Omg. Ours are rotten in three days - off to buy some jars."
"Yes, I've just discovered this too… it's amazing," another said.
"Store them in your belly? Haha. Washing them in vinegar water and [patting] dry will prolong your berries too," a fourth suggested, with another agreeing: "Rinse them with water and white vinegar then strain, pat dry and then, yes… glass container with lid on."
"Wash them in water with white wine vinegar, dry them, then store them in jars… we nannas know you know."
However, others said they had tried the tip but didn't find it quite as successful, with one writing: "I store mine in glass jars and they absolutely don't last two weeks! What am I doing wrong?!"
"Works for produce as well, stored in Pyrex," another weighed in.
"Omg I had a similar experience with covering celery in foil! It’s been two weeks and it’s still crunchy! Magic I tell you," another suggested.
Earlier this year, a viral hack for prolonging the life of avocados was formally condemned by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after TikToker @shamamamahealing shared a method of refrigerating the fruit in a container of water, claiming the tip could extend its life "for up to a month".
But as reported by local media, refrigerating produce in water can actually breed salmonella and harbour other harmful bacteria.
"The FDA does not recommend this practice," a spokesman for the FDA told Newsweek.
"The main concern is with the possibility that any residual human pathogens (ie Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp etc) that may be residing on the avocado surface may potentially multiply during the storage when submerged in water."
