Plums are real summer delights, but biting into the unripe one can leave you with a "shriveled" mouth. As plums ripen, they become sweeter, softer and more pleasant to eat. Read step 1 to learn how to store plums so they reach perfect texture, sweetness, and maturity in a day or two.
Steps
Step 1. Place the prunes in a clean paper bag
Any paper bag can do, as long as there are only prunes. As plums (including other fruit) ripen, they emit a gas called ethylene. By placing them in a closed paper bag, the gas comes into contact with the plums causing them to ripen faster.
- An even faster method is to put a ripe banana together with the prunes in the paper bag. The ethylene produced from bananas will make the ripening stage faster.
- Don't put prunes in plastic bags. In fact, by using non-porous material such as plastic, the air will not enter the bag making the plums taste strange and definitely not good.
- If you prefer, you can ripen the plums in a fruit bowl without the paper bag. They will mature but more slowly.
Step 2. Store the bag at room temperature
Plums ripen best with a temperature of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius. Store them at this temperature until they fully mature.
- Do not store the paper bag near heat sources as the prunes could get too hot and consequently rot.
- The same goes for the refrigerator or cold temperatures. Plums in contact with the cold will be damaged and will never reach optimal maturity and sweetness. Instead they will become floury and tasteless.
Step 3. Touch the plums to check if they are ripe
The easiest way to check if a plum is ripe is to gently squeeze the peel with your finger. If a slight indentation forms, the plum is probably ripe. If it's hard to the touch, you'll have to wait. On the other hand, if your finger pierces the skin of the plum with a light touch, the plum has matured too much. Other ways to check plum ripeness:
- Look at the texture of the skin. As they ripen, plums tend to have a dull skin that looks like it's covered in dust.
- Touch the plum near the end. When it's ready, that area will be softer than the rest of the plum.
Step 4. Enjoy and enjoy ripe plums
When they are ripe, you can eat or cook the prunes. To stop the ripening process and keep them for a long time, put them in the refrigerator drawer.
