Plums are delicate fruits that need to be handled with care - including when it comes to storage. We'll show you how to do it.

Ripe plums can be stored in the refrigerator

This is how you can store plums

Depending on the degree of ripeness of the fruit, there are several ways to store plums:

  • at room temperature (immature)
  • in the fridge (mature)
  • in the freezer (mature)

Store unripe plums at room temperature

It is best to store unripe plums at room temperature for a day or two. Place them next to each other in a fruit basket or in an open paper bag.

tips

A firmer consistency indicates plums are not fully ripe; however, they ripen quickly if the conditions are right.

Important: You should not put unripe plums in the refrigerator so as not to interrupt the ripening process. This only results in poor-tasting or even mealy and damaged fruits.

Store ripe plums in the refrigerator

If you want to eat ripe plums in a timely manner, store them in the refrigerator for a maximum of two to seven days, depending on the variety - ideally in the vegetable compartment of the same. Lay the fruit flat so any spoiled specimens don't contaminate the others.

Important: Only wash your plums just before eating. The whitish film should remain until this moment - it protects the fruit from drying out. This layer is also a sign of full maturity.

tips

You can place the plums in an open (NOT sealed!) plastic bag or in empty egg cartons (one plum per egg compartment).

The refrigerator should be free of strong odors, as plums tend to take on such flavors after a few days.

Store ripe plums in the freezer

If you want to keep your plums for several months, simply freeze them:

  1. Wash the plums thoroughly.
  2. Dry the fruit carefully.
  3. Pit the plums.
  4. Cut the fruit into pieces.
  5. Place the pieces on a baking sheet and let them freeze in the freezer.
  6. Get the plum pieces back out.
  7. Now portion them into freezer bags or cans.
  8. Seal the containers airtight.
  9. Put the plum packets in the freezer.

Frozen (about minus 18 degrees Celsius), plums remain edible for up to twelve months.

General advice: Only buy plums that

  • have no stains
  • are not pale and
  • have no soft spots.

The garden journal freshness ABC

How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?

The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:

  • as a free PDF file to print out yourself

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Trees