How to pick a ripe Plum

How to pick

Look for the dusty frosted bloom — the powdery matte coating covering the entire skin. This natural wax rubs off with handling, so a fully frosted plum has barely been touched since picking. Skin should look matte and dusty, not shiny. Color should be deep and uniform: red-purple for Santa Rosa, near-black for Friar and Black Diamond, golden-yellow for European Greengage types, and reddish-pink for Victoria plums. Lift the plum — it should feel heavy and dense for its size. At the stem end, a ripe plum carries a sweet, fragrant stone-fruit aroma.

Red flags

• A distinct soft or mushy patch that gives under one fingertip while the flesh around it stays firm — bruise damage or the start of rot, not ripening. An even, slight give across the whole fruit is what a ripe plum feels like.
• Brown, sunken, or discolored lesions — brown rot (Monilinia fructicola) spreads rapidly in stone fruit once it starts
• Fermented or wine-like smell at the stem end instead of fresh sweet stone-fruit aroma

When will it be ripe?

1. Firm all over · 1–3 days Color still light and patchy for the variety, dusty bloom untouched, firm all over under a whole-palm cradle.
2. Deepening · nearly Color deepening toward the variety's full shade, with the first hint of give at the blossom end.
3. Even give · eat now Deep, uniform color for the variety, bloom still dusty and matte, an even slight give at the blossom end, sweet stone-fruit smell.
4. Very soft · use today Soft everywhere under a light hand and the skin starting to loosen and shrivel.

How to store

Ripen firm plums at room temperature — 65–70 °F (18–21 °C) — for 1–3 days until the blossom end yields very slightly to gentle whole-palm pressure. Once ripe, refrigerate immediately at 35–40 °F (1–4 °C); best within 5–7 days. Do not wash before refrigerating — free moisture promotes brown rot. Keep away from ethylene-producing fruits (apples, bananas) to avoid accelerating over-ripening.

More to pick

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