Grapes are among the most widely consumed berries. These juicy bunches are a true relief on a hot summer day!
Want to know how long grapes can stay fresh in the fridge?
Find this and more useful information together with a grape shelf life nuances below!
Health Benefits Of Consuming Grapes
We all know that consuming fresh fruits and berries is useful to our health since it gives us vitamins and plenty of other healthy and not quite understandable for us things.
Grape is not an exception.
Even though it is very sweet and has a pretty high content of sugar, this is, first of all, a healthy sugar, and second, the grape has many more health benefits that people may not even guess about!
- Grape is very low in fat and it has a low amount of calories
- It is rich in vitamins C, K, and B6
- Regular consumption of grapes works as a great antioxidant (means that it contributes to repairing our cells) preventing many chronic diseases
- Eating grapes on a regular basis will protect us from cancer
- Grapes lower blood pressure
- These berries protect our heart and strengthen it
- Grapes work as cholesterol reducers
- Despite it is very sweet, it gets down the level of blood sugar and protects us from diabetes!
- Consuming grape will have a great positive effect on the eyes health
- Improves our mood, memory, and attention (students, pay attention to this!)
- The grape makes our bones stronger
- It also fights against certain bacteria, yeast infection, and viruses
- Reduces inflammation
- And finally, grapes allow us to age much slower
Now you understand why it is so important to keep this fruit fresh longer!
Luckily, the grape is not too demanding, however, certain storage nuances must still be taken into account.
Grapes Storage Specifics
Even though grapes are more durable compared to their counterparts, certain conditions must be provided to prolong their lifespan and preserve useful qualities.
- Never wash grape bunches before storing them
- Keeping them unrefrigerated is prohibited since they get spoiled pretty fast
- At room temperature, grapes will stay fresh from two to twenty-four hours. Then the berries begin rotting
- Avoid keeping grapes near the sources of heat to avoid rotting
- Rinse grapes right before eating them
- The ideal environment for grapes is 30-32 F with 90-95 percent relative humidity
- Always use the grapes that have fallen from the stems first since they tend to spoil faster
- Never put grapes close to the food or veggies with a strong smell since they are very sensitive to odors and intake them easily
These tips sound very simple but following them will allow preserving grapes tasty, fresh, and sweet.
Grapes Shelf Life
Since these berries are not so picky, it would be useful to learn how to deal with grapes correctly. One only needs to memorize the basic requirements regarding their shelf life.
How long do grapes last?
Everything hangs upon the conditions.
Refrigerated berries have a lifespan equal to seven or even fourteen days whereas frozen are OK to consume within a year after exposing them to frost.
So how long do grapes last? Grapes last up for 2 weeks at 30,2 °F to 35,6 °F in the refrigerator. Remove rotten berries from the bunch. Store the grapes in a plastic bag, don’t tie them up. Don’t wash grapes before storing water causes grapes to rot. For long-term storage, keep your grapes separately from other fruits on the lowest shelf in the fridge.
How long do grapes last at room temperature?
Fresh berries remain like this for several hours when unrefrigerated. When being left longer, they will dry slowly.
Well, how long do grapes last at room temperature? Grapes last up to 4-6 days at room temperature the optimal temperature is +68 °F. Don’t wash grapes before storing; water causes grapes to rot. For long-term storage, remove rotten berries from the bunch and store grapes in bunches. Use the paper bags for long-term storage.
How to tell when grapes are bad?
Normally, the first sign is the wrinkled skin. In case the berries have been exposed to warm air long enough, they will also have a specific sour odor.
Rotten grapes will have traces of mold on them.
And how to tell when grapes are bad? If you see a soft texture, mold, brown spots, and vinegar smell that means that the grapes are spoiled. Store grapes in a plastic bag up for 2 weeks at 30,2 °F to 35,6 °F in the fridge or up to 4-6 days at room temperature 68 °F; don’t tie them up. Don’t wash grapes before storing it will rot very fast after it.
How long can grapes sit out? Grapes can sit out for up to 1-2 days at room temperature +68 °F without any harm. For long-term storage, remove rotten berries and store grapes in bunches. Don’t store the grapes in a plastic bag, never wash grapes before if you do not want to eat them right now, mold can grow up in 6 hours.
How to Tell If Grapes Are Bad?
Everyone knows that consuming spoiled food including fruits and berries will not end up well for our health. Respectively, it’s good to know the first signs of grapes spoilage to be able to prevent the complete rotting.
When do grapes go bad? Usually, when we store them improperly, in a too hot place, for instance, or under the direct sunlight. Also, these berries don’t like it when we wash them before storing them since it makes grapes rot sooner.
To define spoiled grapes in your kitchen or fridge, look for the following symptoms:
- wrinkled skin
- berries that became too soft or mushy
- strong sour odor
- traces of mold
- color deterioration
What happens if you eat bad grapes? If by any chance, you happened to consume several spoiled berries, you won’t die, of course. You may feel slight nausea or feel nothing at all if your stomach is strong enough or if the grapes were not too spoiled.
However, consuming rotten grapes will bring harmful bacteria, fungus, and spores into your body and that’s not good because one can get badly sick because of them.
So check the grapes for any signs of spoilage regularly to discard the off berries instantly.
Proper Washing Techniques
It is mandatory to wash grapes before consuming them especially to reduce contact with dirt and bacteria as well as pesticide sprays. But to minimize loss of water and promote healthier grapes to be sold in the markets, washing can only be done at the point of use. To begin with, washing them makes them retain excess moisture, which results in mold and hence spoils the food items faster.
To wash grapes effectively, follow these simple steps:
- Rinse Under Cool Water: Put as many grapes as you wish to keep dry into a colander or a strainer. Wash them with water which is cold and running to remove the residue then swirl them occasionally.
- Optional Soak: For harder cleaning and for pesticide control, get a mixture of one teaspoon of baking soda with two cups of water. After preparing the grapes, you should put them in this mixture and let them sit for five to ten minutes; then wash them in cold water.
- Dry Thoroughly: Following this washing rinse the grapes and place them in a clean dish towel or paper towel. It is very important to pat the baby dry tenderly to prevent tearing off the skin. It is also important of course not to consume the grapes before cleaning them since they will spoil and develop mold.
- Do not wash grapes with soap or detergent: because they may cause residues on the fruits they are not supposed to be used on.
Consequently, by adopting such steps you will end up with clean and fresh grapes without compromising the chances of spoiling them.
What to Do With Grapes Going Bad?
If the berries are bad only a bit, they’re still OK to use – just in a bit different way.
Of course, we don’t mean eating bad grapes!
But did anyone know that bad berries can still be consumed safely after certain manipulations?
For instance, old grapes can be dried in the oven! It will release their natural sweetness, besides, oven-dried berries will be a great match for grains or salads!
Another way to use old berries is to make raisins in a special dehydrator or the oven.
Obviously, the badly rotten grape will do for none of these recipes.
How Long Will Grapes Last In The Fridge?
The optimal method for extending grapes’ life is to refrigerate them. It will preserve juiciness and will keep the texture untouched.
How long can grapes last in the fridge?
From seven to fourteen days, if they are packed correctly.
To achieve good results in refrigerating grapes, follow several simple steps.
- Take unwashed (!) bunches of grapes and put into a well-ventilated tank or packet
- If grapes were brought from a store, leave them in the original packet, it’s already meant for proper refrigerating
- Find a place away from the strong odors
- Keep grapes there until deciding to taste some.
Well, how long can grapes last in the fridge? Grapes last up in the fridge for 2 weeks at 30,2 °F. Remove rotten berries from the bunch and keep grapes in a ventilated plastic bag. Never wash grapes before storing them in the fridge, water causes grapes to rot.
How Long Do Grapes Last In the Fridge Or at Room Temperature?
The duration of their storage will be strongly dependent on where and how properly we stock the berries, and it can normally vary from several days to several months.
Grapes are very sensitive to external exposure and different factors like heat or lighting. This is why these berries are considered to be rather demanding in terms of storage, and they will need somewhat distinctive conditions for keeping them last chilled or if we let them sit out.
Besides, the duration of their lifespan will highly hang upon when these grapes were picked.
To be able to enjoy this juicy and refreshing foodstuff longer, follow these simple suggestions:
- To prolong the lifespan, place grapes bunches into the fridge.
- Never wash grapes prior to refrigerating them.
- Go for a ventilated plastic packet when leaving grapes in the fridge. The bag they are sold in will be just fine, however, it is acceptable to transfer the berries into a hermetic tank.
- Before tossing the grapes into the fridge, double-check them for moisture: the berries must be dry; otherwise, they will start spoiling faster.
- Rinsing is allowed and needed right before eating them.
When sticking to the instructions like that, grapes will stay edible from seven to fourteen days successfully retaining their best quality.
Even though these berries are better to be kept refrigerated, leaving them out is still possible. Nevertheless, since grapes are very perishable, it is recommended to leave them like that only if they will be eaten within the next two or three days.
And of course, for prolonging their durability, freezing will be the optimal choice! Icy grapes can serve as a healthy and low-calorie refreshing snack perfectly.
To summarize, check out the short chart below to figure out how much time grapes can safely be kept under different conditions.
Grapes Expiration Date
| Shelf life | Fridge | Canned |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole grapes | 3 days to 5 months | 7-14 days | 1.5 year |
| Frozen grapes | 3-5 months | - | 10-12 months |
| Cut grapes | 3-7 days | 3-5 days | 5-7 days |
Grapes Freezing: Yes Or No?
Naturally, someone may ask whether it is fine to freeze grapes. Moreover, how long do frozen grapes last?
Well, grapes are easily frozen, indeed, and the process won’t take you much time.
- Just wash the bunches and dry them
- Put into sealable plastic packets
- Toss into the freezing camera
That’s all! If you want, remove the grapes from their stems first, then spread them over the baking sheet covered with the baking paper and freeze until they’re hard.
Then stuff the frost-resistant packets with the grapes and return to the freezing camera.
Feel free to experiment since grapes taste well both fresh and as a part of a salad or being added to the juice.
How Can You Store Grapes To Get Them Last Longer?
This inquiry is asked pretty often since dealing with such sensitive foodstuff may appear to be somewhat tricky and bothersome.
Nevertheless, when just following simple instructions, we can significantly prolong their lifespan with the minimum effort! So let us imagine we bought a bag of fresh and ripe grapes. How do we keep them to their longest?
- Inspect the cluster attentively and pick off all the berries that are falling loose. Like this, we will prevent the same effect on the grapes around.
- Leave grapes in their native packaging if possible. If it was already tossed away, find a shallow tank, and transfer the yummies in there.
- Do not wash them prior to refrigerating! Moisture will kill the berries faster than you can imagine.
- The optimal place for grapes in the fridge is the crisper drawer (or the back of the shelf if you have no crisper). However, ensure nothing is threatening them: grapes are very delicate, and if squeezed or smashed, they can decay quicker.
- Never put grapes close to the foods that have a strong smell (for instance, garlic, spicy goodies, etc.). These berries pick odors easily, and we wouldn’t like to have them smelling like something else, right?
- Grapes must always be well ventilated, so we would recommend not sealing it tightly. Place them either in a perforated bag or in a breathable tank.
These simple tricks will allow enjoying those juicy fruity yummies longer, and keep their original quality at the top level easily, too.
Grapes Keeping. FAQ
Everyone knows that foods will last to the longest when stored according to the respective keeping instructions. However, we sometimes don’t know for sure how to deal even with the most common products, especially when it comes to keeping fruits and berries.
These sorts of foods are especially delicate since they are apt to spoilage more than other foodstuffs.
In particular, grapes need quite a lot of attention and care since when stored wrong, they tend to rot very quickly.
To solve this problem, we collected the most widespread inquiries from those who consume grapes often enough to see what bothers people most of all about these berries.
What is the best way to stock fresh grapes?
The optimal method is to keep them unwashed (that’s important!) in a plastic bag refrigerated. Cool surroundings will be the best variant for this kind of fruit.
Shall I rinse grapes before putting them to refrigerate?
By no means! Grapes must not have any contact with water before you eat them! The excess moisture caused by water will make the decaying process go faster which will lead to sooner rotting.
Can grapes be kept together with apples?
Neither apples nor any other fruits must not be put to the same bag with grapes to be stored! Such a contact will speed up the spoilage process in both of the fruits.
Is it ok to leave grapes close to the vegetables when refrigerated?
First of all, grapes quickly absorb odors so keeping them near the strong-smelling vegetables (let’s say, onions) would not be the best idea. Besides, certain vegetables (like potatoes and onions) and fruits (e.g. apples, peaches, mangoes) give off a lot of ethylene gas that speeds up ripening and further rotting.
In what tank is it better to keep grapes in the fridge?
Some people keep grapes in a plastic bag, others prefer airtight firm containers. What is right?
Grapes belong to that sort of foods that are in need of a cool and moisture-free place to remain fresh. So the basic requirement is to ensure that they are away from water and heat. As for the tank, the soft packet is ok until there’s a guarantee that grapes won’t be smashed by the heavier foodstuffs. So in terms of safety, a firm tank would be a more preferable option.
