If you have an abundant quantity of plums during the summer, you can freeze them to keep them for up to a year, so you can enjoy them until the next harvest. They are delicious and sweet even removed from the freezer and eaten naturally or you can use them for a plum cake or a fruit tart. Read on to learn how to freeze sliced plums, in syrup, or whole.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: In wedges
Step 1. Collect or purchase ripe plums
Choose the ones that have a nice shape, with no blemishes, blemishes or wrinkled areas. In order to freeze them they must be at the peak of ripeness with a sweet and full flavor. Do not place in the freezer those that are still slightly unripe or overripe, as they will neither taste good nor have a good texture once thawed.
- Do a taste test before freezing a batch of fruit. Eat one, if it's red and luscious with the juice running down your chin, then all the others should be ready for storage as well. If it's acidic, grainy, and hard then it's best not to proceed.
- If the plums are a little hard, you can leave them at room temperature for a few days to finish ripening. Freeze them when they're ready.
Step 2. Wash them
Put them under cold running water and rub them gently with your fingers. This way you get rid of dirt and debris.
Step 3. Cut the plums into wedges
Use a sharp knife and slice them into pieces about 2.5cm thick. Remove the pits and stems. Continue like this until the whole batch of fruit is cut.
Step 4. Arrange the wedges on a baking sheet
Lay them out in a single layer without them overlapping, so they won't stick together when you freeze them. Cover everything with cling film.
Step 5. Place the pan in the freezer until the plums are hard
They must become dry, hard and non-sticky. It will take about an hour.
Step 6. Now transfer the plum pieces to freezer bags
Fill each bag leaving 2.5 cm of free space and eliminate all excess air (or use a vacuum machine). You can use a straw to suck in the air and close the bags almost hermetically. The air could cause cold burns on the surface of the plums.
- These dried and frozen slices can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- If you want plums to last more than six months, you need to turn them into syrup to avoid cold burns.
Step 7. Use frozen slices
They are great to add to smoothies or to be used in desserts and fruit pies. They are also a decorative touch to cocktails and fruit drinks, they can also replace ice cubes.
Method 2 of 3: In the Syrup
Step 1. Wash the ripe plums
Pick up fresh, ripe ones that have no blemishes, blemishes, or wrinkled areas. Taste one to make sure they are perfectly ripe and not unripe or nearly rotten. Rinse them under cold running water to remove debris and dirt.
If they are still a little unripe, leave them at room temperature for a few days before freezing them
Step 2. Peel the fruit
Since you have to store it in a syrup and freeze it, the skin loses its pleasant texture and may become mushy. You can skip this step if you like plum peel, but in the end you will be rewarded for the effort. You can peel plums using the same technique as for peeling tomatoes.
- Bring a large saucepan filled with water to a boil.
- Fill a bowl with water and ice.
- With a knife, make an "x" incision on the tip of each fruit.
- Put the plums in boiling water for 30 seconds.
- Remove them from the pot and transfer them to ice water for 30 seconds.
- At this point you are able to remove the peel in strips, in fact the whitening process allows you to loosen the peel from the pulp and make its removal easier.
Step 3. Slice the fruit in half and remove the stone
Use a sharp knife and work around the core. Open the two halves, detach and discard the core. Continue like this until you have prepared the whole batch of fruit.
- You can slice the plums if you wish, but they will keep their texture better if you leave them in half.
- If you are concerned that fruit will darken in the freezer, sprinkle it with lemon juice to protect the surface. Citric acid preserves the natural color of the fruit. You can also purchase a specific product designed for this purpose.
- If you'd rather not cut the plums in half, you still need to remove the core. You will therefore need to purchase a dedicated pitter for this operation that leaves the pulp intact.
Step 4. Mix the prunes with a sugar solution
Storing them in a sweet syrup keeps them fresh longer (12 months). Put them in a bowl and pour in enough syrup to completely cover them. Here are some ideas for preparing the mixture:
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Clear syrup.
To prepare it, heat 720 ml of water with 150 g of sugar in a saucepan. Stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved and then wait until the syrup is cold before adding it to the prunes.
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Concentrated syrup.
If you prefer a very sweet mixture, heat 720ml of water with 300g of sugar in a saucepan. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and then pour it all over the prunes.
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Fruit juice.
Try adding plum, grape, or apple juice. There is no need to heat it, just pour as much as you need to cover the plums.
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Natural sugar.
Some people use pure sugar to extract the natural juice of plums. It is a technique that offers a delicious but very sweet product. To do this, pour some refined sugar into the bottom of the freezer container. Add a layer of prunes and then more sugar. Continue to alternate the layers until the container is completely filled.
Step 5. Place the fruit in the freezer bags
Add the plums and syrup to each bag leaving about 2.5cm free space. Use a vacuum machine or a straw to extract excess air and ensure an airtight seal. Label the bags with the date. Stack several bags in the freezer to save space.
Step 6. Thaw the prunes, When you want to consume them, simply take them out of the freezer and place them in the refrigerator or on the kitchen counter
You can eat them straight from the bag. They are excellent when accompanied by vanilla ice cream, but also on their own with a little whipped cream.
Method 3 of 3: Whole
Step 1. Wash the plums
When you decide to freeze them whole, it is essential to choose fresh, ripe, juicy and sweet plums. The better the flavor before you freeze them, the better the defrosted fruit will taste. Rinse them under cold running water to remove all traces of dirt.
If they are still a little unripe, leave them at room temperature to complete the maturation before freezing them
Step 2. Place the fruit in freezer bags
You simply have to put them whole, as they are in the freezer bags, trying to fill the bags as much as possible. Use a straw or a vacuum machine to extract as much air as possible. Label each bag and place it in the freezer.
Step 3. Eat frozen plums
If you want a boost of freshness you can eat them as well as a "natural popsicle". Their texture will be surprisingly delicious, especially on hot days. If you prefer, however, you can defrost them by leaving them on the kitchen counter.
