A ripe plum gives slightly when you press near the stem end with your fingertip; if the flesh near the pit is still rock hard, it is not ready yet. A dull, whitish film on the skin (the bloom) is also a natural sign of freshness, not dirt to wipe off.
Plums that are bought hard can be ripened in a paper bag at room temperature over a few days. Putting an unripe plum straight into the fridge largely stops it from softening further, so getting the order right matters for flavour. Even the most popular varieties on supermarket shelves can stay hard and bland if these two steps are skipped.
How Do You Recognise a Ripe Plum?
The most reliable test is a gentle press: hold the plum in your palm and press near the stem with your thumb. A ripe plum gives slightly under this pressure, while a hard one stays completely firm.
The second clue is smell; a ripe plum gives off a faint sweet, tangy scent when held close, while an odourless one is usually still unripe. The skin colour should also be fully saturated — patches that are still greenish mean it has not finished ripening.
How Do You Ripen Hard Plums?
If you put hard plums in a loosely closed paper bag, the ethylene gas the fruit naturally releases builds up inside and speeds up ripening. Adding a ripe apple or banana to the bag shortens the process even further.
Keep the bag at room temperature, out of direct sunlight; plums usually soften noticeably within 2-3 days. Paper is better than plastic here, since plastic traps moisture and makes mould more likely.
When Should Plums Go Into the Fridge?
Plums should only go into the fridge once they have reached the ripeness you want. Cold air slows the softening process considerably, so chilling a still-firm plum practically halts its ripening.
Once ripe, plums keep well in an uncovered container in the fridge for a few days. Letting them sit at room temperature for a short while before eating brings out more of their aroma.
Warning Signs to Avoid When Buying Plums
Plums with wrinkled, spongy-looking skin have usually been sitting too long and lost moisture, and the flesh inside can be dried out too. Bruised or sunken soft spots are a sign that rot may already be starting there, so it is best to skip those fruits.
Avoid plums with dampness or mould marks around where the stem broke off. If what you smell is a sharp, musty odour rather than a mild tang, the fruit is no longer fresh.
What Should You Do With Overripe Plums?
Plums soft enough to bruise easily should not be wasted; pitted and turned into jam or stewed fruit, they still put the crop to good use, and they can be frozen too. Halving and pitting them before freezing makes them easier to use later on.
If very soft plums are going to be eaten raw, rinse them briefly in cold water and eat them right away instead of letting them sit, or the skin can split and the juice starts leaking out.
Frozen plum slices can go straight into a cake batter or a pot of stewed fruit without thawing first, which saves time and stops the fruit from releasing extra liquid into the batter. Slices kept frozen hold their flavour well for a few months, as long as the container is sealed tightly.
Comments (4)
Sert erikleri doğrudan buzdolabına koydum, günler geçmesine rağmen hiç yumuşamadılar; olgunlaşmadan soğutunca sürecin durduğunu okuyunca hatamı anladım, ekşi ekşi tüketmek zorunda kaldık.
Kâğıt torbaya koyduğum erikleri her gün açıp kontrol etmem mi gerekiyor, yoksa torbayı hiç açmadan birkaç gün beklemek daha mı doğru olur?
Sert erikleri doğrudan buzdolabına koydum, günler geçmesine rağmen hiç yumuşamadılar; olgunlaşmadan soğutunca sürecin durduğunu okuyunca hatamı anladım, ekşi ekşi tüketmek zorunda kaldık.
Kâğıt torbaya koyduğum erikleri her gün açıp kontrol etmem mi gerekiyor, yoksa torbayı hiç açmadan birkaç gün beklemek daha mı doğru olur?