DIY Network

Plum Storage and Recipes Tips on successful storage and cooking with plums From "Fresh From the Orchard" episode DFFO-104

Kelly Givens shares tips on storing plums and gives some tricks of the trade when it comes to pitting and peeling them with ease. She also shares some plum-delicious recipes that are easy, healthful and delightful.

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Figure A

Storage

To store freshly harvested plums, keep them in a loosely covered container in a cool location or in your refrigerator (figure A). Plums that were picked near the peak of their ripeness will stay fresh for three or four days, while plums picked before their flesh is soft will last for two or three weeks.

For eating fresh, take the plums out of the refrigerator several hours before eating. Plums are always juiciest (and most folks think their flavor is sweetest) at room temperature.

Pitting and Peeling Plums

• To remove the pit from some plums, all you need to do is cut the plum in half lengthwise (figure B), twist the halves apart and lift out the pit (figure C).

Figure B

Figure C

• Other plums have pits that cling tightly to the flesh, and the pit needs to be cut out with a small paring knife after the plums are sliced or quartered (figure D).

• If a recipe calls for peeling plums, make the work easy by dropping the plums in boiling water for 30 seconds (figure E). After that, the skin will slip right off.

Figure D

Figure E

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