Having multiple plum trees in my yard makes it important to have good ways to preserve my crop so it doesn’t go to waste. There are many ways to preserve food and I like to have diverse methods in my preservation repertoire. I have many options of how to use my preserved plums later. When I was a kid, my mom would freeze vast amounts of plums, and us six kids would snack on them all summer as healthy bite-sized “popsicles”. Freezing plums is not only an easy way for me to preserve them, it also carries with it a lot of nostalgia.
Frozen plums are great for a variety of uses including baking, smoothies, and, especially, eating plain. I really like that I can freeze plums now and then can them later when the summer is not so hectic. Let me show you just how simple it is so you too can have them all year round.
Frozen Plums
The first step in freezing plums is to prepare your plums by washing and pitting them.
pit and freeze plums on a tray
Now that the plums are ready, let’s individually freeze them. This method allows the plums to be removed from the freezer individually instead of in one large ice block.
How to Freeze Plums
label and place in a freezer bag
Freezing plums is done by placing the plums on a cookie sheet and placing them into the freezer to freeze for 2 to 4 hours. I sometimes like to line my baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. The silicone mat makes it easy to remove the plums from the baking sheets. After they have been frozen individually place them in long-term storage freezer bags.
I remove as much air as possible. I then label the storage bag with the date and contents. Then I lay the bag as flat as possible in the freezer so it will stack better.
Note: It is easier to label them before putting the plums in.
