General Rules about Strawberries
Your strawberries are always picked ripe and ready to be washed and eaten (unless we tell you otherwise). The general rule of telling how ripe a strawberry is, is that the darker color the berry the riper it is. At the beginning of the season, the strawberries are firmer and have a longer "shelf life". At the end of the season, the strawberries become softer and will need to be eaten right away.
Proper Care of your Strawberries
Always refrigerate your strawberries, especially the very soft and ripe ones. You can sometimes get away with keeping them stored in a cool place if they are firm enough. The best way to keep berries fresh is to put the unwashed berries in to a Tupperware or other type of air-tight container with a paper towel on the bottom. Store the container in the refrigerator and only wash them once you are ready to eat them. Using this method of preserving your berries will keep them as fresh as possible for as long as possible. However, it is always best to eat your berries within a few days or even a few hours depending on how ripe they are.