After a cook out last night, my friend gave me a big tupperware full of sliced strawberries and blueberries. I brought in the house last night but forgot to put it in fridge. I realized about noon today and put it in fridge.

Is this ok to eat? what if I rinse it? Hate to waste all those wonderful fresh berries.

Please let me know your thoughts!

Thanks!

Yes!! Unless you see mold your totally fine with those fruits. Well I am not a medical doctor or specialist, but even moldy fruit isn't dangerous unless you have a allergy to mold or sensitivity. But i wouldn't say to ever eat moldy fruit.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Food-Safe...ruit-night.htm

Here is a better source than my limited knowledge

Great! Thank you!!!

Fruit (with or without added sugar) doesn't tend to attract the kind of bacteria that make you ill. But it will ferment eventually (good bacteria will convert the sugar to alcohol). If you wanted that to happen, you would have set the fruit out on purpose, for a lot longer than 8 to 12 hours.

The only source of trouble would be if the fruit were cross-contaminated (such as someone used the macaroni salad spoon to dip out some fruit).

Compost.

Trip to the doc costs more than the fruit so when in doubt? I'd just chuck it in the compost. Who knows who was mixing up utensils to scoop out fruit at the cookout?

A.

It is totally fine. Just think about it, if those berries were in there natural habitat...they would be in at least 80 degree weather outside!! Eat those yummy berries!!!!

The "natural habitat" reasoning makes no sense, because the fruit isn't "alive" anymore once it's removed from it's plant, and slicing it creates even more opportunity for bacterial growh.

It would be a bit like saying that you can leave out a piece of beef, because the cows do just fine in 80 degree weather.

Fermentation occurs with whole fruits, but you can speed it up by cutting the fruit. We had pear trees in our yard, when I was a kid. Pears ferment on the group. During late winter or early spring, the rabbits would find these now alcoholic fruits and get drunk on them.


Food science isn't rocket science, but it can be tricky. Fresh garlic does not need refrigeration. Olive oil does not need refrigeration. Combine them, and you should refrigerate, because of the possibility of botulism. Botulism grows best in an air-free environment. It doesn't grow very well on the garlic, because it's exposed to air. Cutting off the air supply by emersing it in oil and it grows quite well.

The Inuit in Alaska have a way of preserving fish and meat. They bury it and let it decay, and then dig it up to eat at a later date. Sounds horrific if it's not part of your culture, but the risk of food poisoning is actually very low, if the traditional method of preparing it is followed.

However, young people thinking they could do it better and "safer" decided to put the meat/fish in a bucket and buried the bucket. It makes sense. Keeps bugs, animals and bacteria away, Right?

Wrong. They sealed the bucket. Even buried in the ground (without the bucket), there was plenty of oxygen. Sealing the bucket created a perfect environment for botulism to grow.

A food that once rarely resulted in illness, now kills people every year in Alaska, because it isn't prepared correctly.


What "makes sense" isn't always true. Fruit is usually safe, but you need to know why. Pour oil on that fruit and let it sit, and it can become deadly. That doesn't make sense unless you know how botulism and other foodbourn illnesses are transmitted and the conditions under which they flourish.

Safe, yes. Tasty, no.