How do you prevent strawberries from going bad?
I've had them go bad within 24 hours sitting out in a colander with paper towel AND in the refrigerator. What am I doing wrong? Thanks, all!
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in some sugar water.
They seem to last longer that way.
This morning, they were growing fuzz. How much sugar?
I think it's the "one rotten apple" problem. Once one gets mold, it spreads like crazy.
It's frustrating because I love strawberries.
I buy just about anywhere else.
I bought strawberries at a farmer's market a week ago and the last of them are being eaten today. None went bad.
Plus my town cancelled its farmers' market. 
I've gotten good produce at TJ's, though still rely on the grocery delivery service I've used because produce tends to be heavy and I can only carry so much -- one bag, maybe two. Plus, the walk from the garage to my condo is pretty far.
I use a 1/2 cup vinegar to enough water in the sink to cover about 4-5 quarts of berries. They still look wrinkly after a few days in the fridge, but no moldy or nasty ones. 
Like the:
Refreshing Watermelon Drink
Red Velvet Beet Smoothie
I eat what I want now and freeze the rest.
Alternately, make Strawberry Tuxedos and throw a party that day! 
http://howtomakestuff.com/2009/06/02/how-to-make-tuxedo-strawberries/
(Oh, I learned this tip for washing conventionally grown strawberries, though I do it with organic ones, too: wash under a stream of hot water, as that helps lift off more of the pesticides and other residues than cold water.)
If I get a good buy on strawberries, I pretty much figure they are going to go and go soon, so I immediately use them for smoothies. I wash them and put vanilla yogurt over them. The yogurt preserves them until I'm ready to make the full-fledged smoothie.
Here's another idea from the comments section of the link provided above. I just did this one; I'll let you know how it comes out.
Here's another idea from my local strawberry patch in NC. Remove the strawberries - don't rinse or anything! - from the farm's bucket/container and put them in a bowl with a sealable lid. I use a Tupperware bowl. On top of the strawberries, place a paper towel. Put on the lid. Store in the fridge. That's it! And they do last forever (if I don't eat them first!) When I get some out, I usually replace the damp paper towel and wipe off the condensation from the lid.
Cher
They're so good at this time of year that I tend to eat them quickly!
I always buy local. Easy for me, I live in CA's strawberry belt. Check out the farmers' markets when local crops come in.
Other than that, I sort, rinse and eat the bruised ones right away... 
I'm eating ones from California. We've had so much rain this year (4-plus inches last night alone!) that the local crop is not doing well.
What a mess trying to remove the stems once they thawed 
We have a strawberry farm close-by and have a few plants of my own. We're at least a week or so behind this year. Can hardly wait for fresh, local berries - can't be beat. I vacuum pack and freeze in Foodsaver bags and that seems to work pretty well.