Plums have an excellent flavor and stand up to transportation better than most fruits. They are in season from May to June, August, and September to October. When you visit the grocery store, look for plums that have no wrinkles or soften slightly when pressed gently. You should avoid eating them immediately when you bring them home, as they will lose their flavor.
Preparation
If you plan to cook with plums, you must prepare them properly. Plums come in different shapes, sizes, and colors. You can use the same methods for cooking both ripe and under-ripe plums. Gently press on the fruit to feel for ripeness. Afterward, store it at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a few days.
The best plums will be firm and smooth, with no cracks or bruises. They should also smell fresh and have a light waxy coating. Avoid plums with bruises or discolorations, as these can be signs of rot. They should be stored separately from other fresh produce to avoid spreading the bacteria.
When choosing a plum from the grocery store, remember its size and type. Plums can be as large as baseballs or as small as cherries. Some varieties are tart, while others are sweet. Most varieties are small, with shiny skin and a hard center. Regardless of size, plums come in many different colors and types. Some plums are red, others are deep purple, and others are green and yellow. Some plums are sour, but this is only sometimes an indication of poor quality.
When buying plums at the grocery store, choose fully ripe ones. This will make them tastier and safer for the baby. When buying plums, try to buy organic ones. These are the least affected by pesticides. However, it would help if you chose a plum with no soft spots or bruising.
Then, make sure you wash the fruit well. Then, you can get either pit or slice it into quarters. Then, please place it in a small oven-proof dish and add some apple juice. Then, bake it for 20-25 minutes. After cooking, you can scoop out the skins or use them in other recipes.
You can also plum at home. Before you can use them, you should wash them thoroughly. Avoid using overripe plums, as they will fall apart during the canning process. You can also opt for freestone plums, which are easy to remove and cut.
Ripeness
You must ensure you’re getting the best fruit when you buy plums. Choose plums that are soft and have a pleasant, sweet smell. Avoid those with blemishes, cuts, or bruises. This could indicate rotting.
Plums can go bad quickly if they are too ripe. Keep them refrigerated or in a paper bag on the counter. They should be eaten within a day or two. Unripe plums will stay in the refrigerator for up to two days, but they will go wrong if exposed to intense sunlight.
While it’s tempting to grab the first ripe plum you see, you should only buy it if it’s completely ripe. A few signs of ripeness include color changes. Darker plums are riper. A fully ripe plum will be less tart and juicier. Plums are full of antioxidants and can help your immune system. They also contain anti-inflammatory properties and may improve bone and cardiovascular health.
Lastly, check the plums’ blossom end to check if they’re still soft. If the end of the plum is brutal, it’s not ripe. More delicate plums will soften in the bag, but the flavor won’t persist. In general, unripe plums are not suitable for eating.
The season for plums varies from spring to fall. Some varieties are harvested early, while others are harvested later. You can find plums in the grocery store and eat them during the peak season. The first ripe plums are usually the Japanese varieties, while European types will not be ready until later. So, when shopping for plums, check the date of their bloom.
In general, plums are ripe when they are firm but not overly soft. Soft plums should be discarded, as are shriveled or pitted plums. Never eat a plum if its skin is pale or has worms inside.
Plums are a delicious fruit. But it would help if you remembered that they are less predictable than other fruits. You can get firm plums, while others are soft and juicy.
Storage
To pick plums at the grocery store, choosing plums that have even coloration and are free of bruises is essential. They should also be firm and smell sweet. You can also check their appearance by looking for bruises or wounds. Plums with bruises and injuries should be discarded or returned.
Plums are seasonally available in most areas and can be found in many grocery stores in the spring and summer. They are also available year-round but may be less plentiful during winter. You can also look for plums at smaller stores and markets during the fall and winter. You can also try to find plums on local farms if they’re available.
When buying plums at the grocery store, be sure to choose those that are firm and easy to remove from the tree. Firm plums will release ethylene gas at room temperature, speeding up the ripening process. A taut plum should be soft enough to eat within a few days. It’s also essential to use paper bags instead of plastic ones, which will trap moisture and air, causing them to spoil sooner.
Once picked, plums should be refrigerated until they are soft and ripe. If you have extra fruit, you can refrigerate it and use it within a few days. If you don’t plan to use it immediately, you can donate it to food pantries and other food agencies. Most of these agencies are happy to receive excess fruit.
While plums are only some of the most popular summer fruit, they are still nutritious and often underutilized in recipes. Picking and storing plums can make your summer more enjoyable and delicious. When they’re ripe, plums have a high level of antioxidants and fiber.
Wax bloom
Post-harvest handling can disturb the wax bloom of fruit, affecting both its visual appearance and physiological quality. The wax bloom is caused by wax platelets that are not removed from the fruit during processing. Post-harvest polishing reduced the CIE L* value from 37.3 to 28.1, and the a-value rose from 235 to 2.86.
The wax bloom of plums is a protective layer on the fruit’s surface that minimizes moisture loss from the skin. This layer is crystalline but can become molten if the temperature increases or the wax is mixed with another substance. Because of this, it is essential to distinguish between plums that have wax blooms from those that don’t.
Plums that have a wax bloom are ripe and will store well in the fridge for a few days. However, you should be aware of any white film on organic fruits and vegetables. This is a natural process that occurs on fruit and grapes. This wax bloom is not harmful and can contribute to the flavor of the fruit. Plums that have wax blooms are best for making prunes. Prunes are dried plums made from a particular variety of plums.
When picking fruit, always check the label to ensure it’s wax-free. Many fruits have wax-coated skins because they are prone to moisture loss. When the fruit has a wax coating, it keeps it from drying out and absorbing moisture from the rain.
If you’re looking for a healthy, delicious fruit, you should be able to differentiate between a yellow and a black plum. The yellow ones are typically smaller and more common in soups and stews than the black ones. They are also sweet and tart.
The skin of plum is covered with a natural wax that is partly permeable to water vapor and gases. It also influences the fruit’s shelf life by limiting oxygen and carbon dioxide permeability. A plum with this type of coating has about a 28-mm thick layer.
The wax bloom of fruit can be easily removed. You can remove this by brushing the fruit against a hard surface. The wax coating contains small scales of wax excreted from the fruit’s epicuticular cells. This coating helps the fruit retain moisture by preventing evaporation. One study found that resin comprises 32 to 70% ursolic acid.
