Tips and Tricks to Harvesting, Cleaning, and Preserving Berries

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… berry-picking season! Saskatoon berries, sour cherries, strawberries, and raspberries are all in season these next few weeks. Before you grab your straw hat and pail (or walk down to the fruit truck, we won’t judge), here are some little tips and tricks to make the whole process smoother.

Three bowls of fresh berries on a wooden surface. The top bowl contains dark berries, the bottom right bowl contains bright red berries, and the bottom left bowl contains raspberries. There are also purple flowers on the left side of the image.

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Berry Harvesting Essentials

Berry picking is not a time to be glamourous. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll notice that I’m usually dressed nicely in my berry picking pictures. This is purely for the camera. I assure you I don’t go berry picking like that in real life.

You’ll want to wear a wide brimmed hat, loose long-sleeved shirt, and long pants if you’re going to be picking in the wild. The most hard-core berry pickers (I can’t believe I just strung those words together) tie an ice cream bucket around their waist to free up both hands.

A variety of berries in bowls are displayed on a weathered wooden surface. The bowls contain red cherries, blackberries, and red raspberries. Beside the berries, there is a straw hat and purple flowers, creating a rustic, summery setting.

You’ll also want to bring a larger pail with a lid to store the berries. The lid is key, as I have been known to cry over spilled berries. This way, when your pail gets too heavy, you can dump the berries into the pail with a lid.

Finally, you’ll need sunscreen, mosquito spray, and a huge container of water. Berry picking can take way longer than you think and it’s tempting to go for “just a few more.” My husband has to practically drag me away sometimes.

A woman in a striped blue shirt and beige pants holds a white bucket filled with Saskatoon berries. She is wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat and has a braid over her shoulder. She is standing outside next to some dense bushes, smiling at the camera.

Related: For the Love of Berry Picking

How to Pick Fresh Berries

Picking berries isn’t very complicated. You’ll want to avoid picking leaves, twigs, or any berry that doesn’t look ripe.

How do you know?

Generally, if it doesn’t pull off with a gentle tug, it’s not ripe.

Want to pick fruit from your own backyard? Learn about the 28 different fruit trees you can grow in zone 2 and zone 3.

A hand holding a cluster of dark purple Saskatoon berries growing on a branch with green leaves. The background shows more green foliage. The berries appear ripe and are contrasted against the greenery.

Try to “pick clean” (avoiding the things above) so that you don’t have to spend hours cleaning your berries later. Here’s a little video I made showing you my process.

This video was originally posted on the Shifting Roots Facebook Page. Join us there to get more tips like this every week!

How to Keep Saskatoon Berries, Raspberries, Sour Cherries, and Strawberries Fresh for Longer

Timing is of the essence. Berries will quickly go bad if they aren’t dealt with soon after you pick them. If you’re short on time, you can pop them into one of Tupperware’s Fridge Smart containers–a total lifesaver for me! However, you really should process them as soon as possible.

To keep berries lasting longer for fresh eating, wash them well!

Preparing your berries for canning, freezing, or for making jams and other preserves? Here’s how to clean them so they’ll be ready to preserve.

Saskatoon Berries & Blueberries

Dump a few of the berries out on a cookie sheet and roll them around to catch any that have been eaten by birds. Pick out any small stems or unripe berries. Dump the clean berries into a colander and rinse with water. That’s it. Store them in freezer bags or make them into beautiful jams, pies, and more!

A full colander of dark purple Saskatoon berries sits on a wooden surface, with a few scattered berries around it. Next to the colander, a white bowl also contains berries. A blue cloth is laid underneath the colander and bowl.

Raspberries

Raspberries are the least forgiving of the berries. They will mould within the day if you’re not careful. Gently pick out any unripe or overripe raspberries and rinse with water. Stir with a small amount of sugar and freeze.

Strawberries

Strawberries, however, are the easiest. Cut all the green tops off of your strawberries. Slice them (or not), wash, and freeze. Done!

Sour Cherries

Sour cherries take more time because you have to pit them first. Since you’re touching every single cherry, there’s no need to go through and look for bird-eaten and unripe ones first. You can pit your cherries with a knife, or use a cherry pitter.

Once the cherries are clean, mix with a small amount of sugar to help keep their colour, then freeze.

A bowl of dark purple Saskatoon berries sits beside two smaller bowls, one filled with red raspberries and the other with bright red cherries. The bowls are placed on a rustic wooden surface, adorned with purple flowers and fabric napkins.

Picking and cleaning berries takes time, but is so worth the effort. They’re wonderful to have in pancakes, jam, and desserts all year long.

What will you be making with your berries? Any tips and tricks to share?

An image displaying various types of fresh berries, such as raspberries, red currants, and black currants, in bowls on a wooden surface. There are also purple flowers scattered around. Text on the image reads, "Tips & Tricks to harvesting, cleaning & preserving fresh berries.

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Comments

Natanja || Home Baked Bliss

Haha my grandma used to be one of those hard-core berry pickers as you call them :) But going berry picking with her is one of my fondest memories. Currently I do not have the possibility to go berry picking but I already made some jam and summer desserts with fresh (store bought) berries.

- Kristen Raney
  
  Nothing wrong with store bought! Enjoy your jam making.
  
Joelle

Great post!! I just learned that I am a "hard-core berry picker"!! Haha! And all this time I just thought having a bucket tied to ones waist with two free hands made the most sense! I totally understand the need to be dragged away from a berry patch. Just. One. More. Berry. Yum!

- Kristen Raney
  
  Lol, hard-core berry pickers are the best kind!
  
Ginger

I almost clicked off this site after getting the info I was looking for, but then I read more, and realized this is clearly a most informative, and helpful site ever! Thank you, Kristen, for doing most excellent work!

Mary-Jo Davies

Do you remove the pointy things on the bottom of the berry or leave them on. Do the pointy things soften when you cook the berries