Content

• To step
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Fresh plums are one of the treats of summer, but if you bite into an unripe plum, the tart taste will make your mouth contract. When plums ripen, they become sweeter and softer, making them much more delicious to eat. See Step 1 to learn how to store a plum so it reaches its juiciest, sweetest ripe peak in just a day or two.

To step

1. Place the plums in a clean paper bag. Any paper bag is fine, but it must be empty. When plums (and other fruits) ripen, they release ethylene. Placing them in a paper bag with the top folded over keeps the gas close to the plums, speeding up the ripening process.
   • An even faster method is to put a ripe banana in the bag with the plums. The extra ethylene produced by the banana will cause the plums to ripen more quickly.
   • Do not put the plums in a plastic bag. If you use a non-porous bag, fresh air won't get in and the plums will end up having a weird taste.
   • If you wish, you can ripen the plums by placing them in a fruit bowl, instead of a bag. The plums will still ripen, but they will not be ready very quickly.
2. Keep the bag at room temperature. The plums ripen best at a temperature between 21 and 25 degrees Celsius. Keep them at this temperature until fully ripe.
   • Do not keep the bag in a sunny window as this will overheat the plums. If the plums get too hot, they will rot.
   • Storing plums in the refrigerator or at a cold temperature before they are ripe also leads to so-called cold damage. A cold-damaged plum will never turn juicy and sweet - instead, you'll end up with a mealy, flavorless plum.
3. Test the plums for ripeness. The easiest way to tell if your plums are ripe is to lightly press the skin with your finger. If you make a slight dent, the plum is probably ripe. If it still feels hard, you have to wait a little longer. If your finger punctures the skin of the plum at the slightest touch, the process has gone a little too far. Here are a few more ways to test maturity:
   • Observe the texture of the peel. Plums start to look dusty as they mature.
   • Touch a plum at the tip. When ripe, that part will be a bit softer than the rest of the plum.
4. Enjoy the ripe plums. You can eat or cook the plums as soon as they are ripe. To stop the ripening process and keep them a little longer, keep them in the vegetable drawer of your fridge.

Tips

• If you don't know what to do with your ripe plums, here are a few ideas: Make an eggless plum pie, bake a plum and black cherry pie, make prunes, or top with vodka.

Warnings

• Do not put unripe plums in the fridge! This will otherwise become mealy and mushy, without ripening properly. The plums can only be put in the refrigerator after they are ripened.

Necessities

• Paper bag
• Ripe banana
• Plum (s)