Plums

Summary

Plums of many varieties, colours and flavours can be found in Toronto’s urban orchard. Plum trees are not very abundant so these local edibles are quite a rare treat. Plum tree produce round or oval-shaped fruit, around the size of a golf ball with a central pit. Depending on the variety, plums can be purple, blue, green, yellow and/or red when fully ripe.

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Average Ripening Timeline: mid July to early September

Toronto Purple Plums
  • Color When Ripe: purple, blue, green, yellow and/or red when fully ripe. May have bloom (white, powdery substance) on the skin (which is a harmless fungus that feeds on the fruit’s sugars)
  • Feel & Texture When Ripe: soft
  • Taste & Smell When Ripe: sweet or tart
  • Underripe if…hard to the touch, not sweet to taste
  • Overripe if…mushy, wrinkled, or discoloured
Toronto Yellow Plums

Average Yield: 15 to 100 lbs

  • Hand-picking is best; twist gently and try to leave stem on plum
  • Ripe plums drop from the tree very easily so be ready for lots of windfall, and consider using the mulberry tree vibrating technique for those hard to reach plums
  • Picking poles can be used with tarps to catch dropped fruit
  • Can be picked slightly underripe
  • Should pull/detach easily from tree
  • Quite fragile, so it is best to place them in shallow containers and not pile them too high
Top view of fresh organic plums in a rustic bowl on a wooden table, perfect for healthy diet themes.

Storing

Plums will continue to ripen off the tree, on your counter

  • Fridge: Place ripe fruit in the fridge right away. Be careful to check on ripening plums — they can go quickly from unripe to overripe
  • Freezer: wash, dry, and halve plums to remove the pits. Freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to a bag or container. Use within 6 months

Ideas for Eating

Eating fresh; baking; jam; chutney; sauces; smoothies; dehydrating

References:

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