Anyone who has a plum tree in their garden knows that there are never just a few ripe plums. Some fruit trees ripen slowly and each fruit ripens at its own pace. This is not always the case with plum trees. All of the fruit on a plum tree ripens at the same time and more fruit is harvested than one can eat in one go. If you have too many, it's good to know if you can freeze plums.
Can you freeze plums?
The easiest way to use up excess fruit is to freeze the ripe plums, aside from sharing them with friends and family. When ripe summer plums are frozen, their flavor is preserved so they can be enjoyed later in the year. Plus, you can save ripe plums for later cooking when you have more time or cooler weather and are more willing to turn on the hot oven.
Plums can stay frozen long enough, but that also depends on how you froze them. Frozen, raw (whole) and prepared fruits can be used for up to 6 months without losing color and consistency. However, plums frozen in syrup or compote can be stored in the freezer for up to 12 months. To ensure that your frozen plums or plum slices last longer than 6 months, you can also soak them in syrup. This way you can enjoy your favorite fruit and the dishes made with it all year round. You can also freeze the fruit in ready-made dishes such as crumble or jam.
To freeze raw plums, you need to make sure they are ripe, sweet, and juicy enough. For this purpose, you can test one of the plums from the batch before proceeding. They must not be green, overripe, hard, too grainy, or have spots or wrinkles. You can use plums that are not yet ripeStore at room temperature for a few daysso that they can continue to mature. This is important so that the fruit does not lose its taste and consistency when thawed later.
Freeze fresh plums for cake
With this method, you simply halve the plums, remove the core and freeze the fruit:
- Wash
To do this, you just need to rinse them well to get rid of any dirt. - Remove stone
Cut them in half and remove the stone. - Pack and freeze
Place the plums in a thick freezer bag. You then need to remove the air from the bag and place it in the freezer.
Freeze plums without losing taste
If you prefer your plums in wedges orwant to freeze slices, it is best to proceed as follows:
- Wash
To freeze plums, you must carefully rinse and rub the fruit to remove any dirt. - Cut
Next, you can cut the plums into the shape you want and remove the seeds and stems. Once you have sliced all the fruits, you need to spread them out on a baking sheet without overlapping each other. - Freeze
Cover the tray with cling film and freeze the plums until they are hard and dry. - Packaging
Once they are firm, you can put all the plums in a freezer bag and fill it to the top. - Freeze again
Then vent the bag, seal it airtight and put it in the freezer.
How do you defrost pitted plums?
When it's time to thaw your plums, you'll need to consider what you're going to use them for. For smoothies you can use frozen plum slices straight from the freezer.For cakesor tarts, you should first defrost the plums in the refrigerator and then drain off the excess liquid before using them for baking.
Freeze plums with pit
- Wash the plums
Wash the plums by gently rubbing the peel under cold running water. Don't try to freeze too many plums at once. The fruit should freeze completely within 24 hours. - Pack in plastic containers
Pack whole fruit in plastic containers, leaving 1.5 to 2.5 cm of space between the fruit and the top of the container. - Add a solution
If desired, add a syrup mixture of 3 cups sugar and 4 cups water to cover the fruit.
Note that it is not necessary to pack the plums in syrup - they freeze well if you freeze the whole fruit. If you omit the syrup mixture, you can also cut down on the added sugar.
- Seal and freeze
Place the lids on the plastic containers and freeze immediately at -18°C or below.
Thawing frozen plums with pit
- In the fridge: About 6 to 8 hours per 500g of fruit.
- In the microwave on the defrost setting: turn the package over so that it defrosts evenly.
- Under cold running water: wait 1/2 to 1 hour.
- To easily peel the thawed fruit, score the bottom of the plums with a small "X" using a paring knife. Place the scored fruit in a pot of boiling water for 20 to 30 seconds, then transfer to a pot filled with ice water. Once the plums have cooled, the skin can be easily removed.
