How to Freeze Plums

Dry-Freezing Plums

Pick or purchase ripe plums. Look for plums that are in good shape, free of blemishes, wrinkles and spots. Plums should be frozen when they are at the peak of their ripeness, deliciously sweet and flavorful. Don't freeze plums that are a little green or overripe, because they won't have good flavor or texture when you thaw them out. Do a taste test before freezing a batch of plums. Bite into one of the plums. If purply-red juice drips down your chin, and the plum is sweet and flavorful, the rest are probably good to freeze. If it's too tart, or too grainy, you might not want to freeze this batch of plums. If the plums are a little hard, you can leave them at room temperature for a few days to ripen. Freeze them when they are just ripe.

Wash the plums. Run them under cool water and use your fingers to gently rub their skin. Rinse away any dirt or debris.

Slice the plums into wedges. Use a sharp paring knife to slice them into wedges about an inch thick. Discard the pits and stems. Continue slicing the plums until you've processed the whole bunch.

Lay the plum slices on a baking sheet. Spread them out in a single layer, with no overlapping, so that they don't stick together when they freeze. Cover the baking sheet with a layer of plastic wrap.

Freeze the plum slices until they're firm. Put the whole tray of plums in the freezer and leave it inside until the plums are firm and dry, and no longer sticky. It should take about an hour to get them to this stage.

Put the plum slices in a freezer storage bag and freeze. Fill the bag to within an inch of the top, and squeeze out as much excess air as possible (or use a vacuum sealer, which sucks out the air for you). You can use a straw to suck out the extra air and close the bag tightly. Air trapped in the bag will cause the plums to get freezer burn more quickly. Dry-frozen slices of plum will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months. To keep plums for longer than 6 months, you need to pack them in syrup to prevent freezer burn.

Reconstitute the plums. Frozen plum slices are perfect to add to smoothies or use in cobblers and other desserts. They also add a cute decorative touch when added to cocktails or fruity drinks in place of ice cubes.

Packing Plums in Syrup

Wash ripe plums. Pick fresh, ripe plums that are free of blemishes, wrinkles and spots. Taste one of the plums from the batch to make sure they're perfectly ripe, and not too green or overripe. Rinse the plums under cool water to remove any dirt or debris. If the plums are still a little green, ripen them on your counter for a few days before freezing them.

Peel the plums. Packing plums in syrup and freezing them, then reconstituting them causes the peels to lose their pleasant texture and get a little mushy. You can skip this step if you prefer to keep the peels, but it might be worth the extra effort in the long run. You can peel plums using the same technique that is used to peel tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Use a knife to make an "x" in the skin at the tip of each plum. Place the plums in the boil water and blanch them for 30 seconds. Remove them from the boiling water and plunge them in the ice bath for 30 seconds. Remove them from the ice bath and pull away the skin in strips to peel the plums. Blanching the plums loosens the skin, making it easy to peel.

Slice the plums in half and pit them. Use a sharp knife to slice the plums in half, working your way around the pit. Pull the halves apart, then remove and discard the pit. Continue until you've sliced and pitted every plum. If you wish, you can cut the plums into smaller slices. The plums will retain their texture better if they're left in halves. If you're worried about the plums darkening in the freezer, you can toss them with lemon juice, coating their surfaces. The citric acid preserves their color. You may also buy a product you can sprinkle on the fruit to achieve the same effect. If you'd prefer not to cut the plums in half, you still need to remove the core. Buy a plum or peach corer, which easily pops out the core without cutting into the rest of the fruit's flesh.

Mix the plums with a sugar solution. Preserving the plums in a sweet solution enhances their flavor and also keeps them fresh longer (up to 12 months). Put the plums in a bowl and pour in just enough solution to cover them completely. Here are a few options to use as a sugar solution: Light syrup. To make this, just heat 3 cups of water and add 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan. Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves, then cool the solution before you pour it over the plums. Heavy syrup. If you want a very sweet solution, heat 3 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar in a saucepan. Stir until the sugar dissolves, cool the syrup, then pour it over the plums. Fruit juice. Try plum juice, grape juice or apple juice. There's no need to heat it; just pour enough over the plums to cover. Plain sugar. Some people use plain sugar to draw out the plum's juices. This is a delicious, but extremely sweet and sugary choice. To do it, pour white sugar into the bottom of your freezer container. Add a layer of plums. Sprinkle more sugar over the layer. Continue layering plums and sugar until the container is full.

Put the plums in freezer bags. Pour the plums and sugar solution into freezer bags, filling each one to within an inch of the top. Use a vacuum sealer or a straw to remove excess air from the bags, then seal them tightly. Label and freeze the bags. You can stack them in the freezer for easier storage.

Thaw the plums. When you're ready to use plums, simply remove them from the freezer and thaw them in the refrigerator or on the counter. The plums are ready to eat directly from the bag. Syrup-packed plums are delicious as a topping for vanilla ice cream or on their own with some whipped cream.

Freezing Plums Whole

Wash ripe plums. When you're freezing whole plums, it's especially necessary to choose fresh, ripe plums that that are sweet and juicy. The better they taste before you freeze them, the better they'll taste when you thaw them. Rinse the plums under cool water to remove any dirt or debris. If the plums are still a little green, ripen them on your counter for a few days before freezing them.

Place the plums in a storage bag. Simply place the whole, fresh plums in a freezer storage bag, filling it as close to the top as possible. Use a straw or a vacuum sealer to remove as much air as possible from the bag. Label it and pop it in the freezer.

Eat the frozen plums. When you want a burst of icy, sweet goodness, just take a plum from the freezer and eat it right away. The texture of a frozen plum is surprisingly scrumptious, especially when it's hot outside. If you'd prefer, you can thaw out the plum on the counter for a few minutes before eating.