The dark purple stone fruits are rich in vitamins and minerals. They taste delicious and put you in a good mood. When summer is in full swing, plums are approaching full ripeness. They love the sun just like many nature lovers and hobby gardeners.
When and how do you harvest plums correctly?
Plums are best harvested between mid-July and mid-September, when they give in under light pressure and the stem can be removed from the branch without much effort. When picking, you should touch the peel as little as possible so as not to damage the protective wax layer.
Ready for the harvest
Between mid-July and mid-September, the fruit trees are full of juicy fruits. If you don't have any plum trees in your own garden, you can pick the fruit yourself at numerous facilities. At the end, a price per kilogram is charged, which varies depending on the provider.
What you need:
- vessel to collect
- possibly ladder or fruit picker with telescopic handle
- if required ladder hook
Tips for picking correctly
The fruits of a tree ripen at different speeds because the sun does not shine evenly on the entire crown. The upper plums ripen earlier than the fruit on lower branches. If they give slightly under pressure and the stem can be removed from the branch without much effort, the stone fruits are ready to harvest.
You should touch the shell as little as possible because it is protected by a whitish wax layer. It prevents excessive water loss and keeps germs away. When washing or rubbing, the protective layer called fragrance is lost. You can also eat this too.
Good to know: reference variety
The “Bühler Frühzwetschge” is a variety that was discovered by chance in 1840. In the following decades, this random variety spread throughout Europe. It became the symbol of the Baden plum and to this day it serves as a reference object for the ripening period of all plums and plums. All varieties that ripen in Germany before early spring from the Bühler Valley are considered early plums. All of the following are referred to as late varieties.
The difference between plums and damsons
While the plum has a firm and crunchy flesh, the aromatic and rounded plum is softer and juicier. The latter is ideal for making purees, chutneys and jams. The rather elongated plums are an ideal ingredient for cakes because they retain their shape when baked and do not juice. These usually ripen a little later than plums.
