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Germans love fruit and almost every second person names prunes and prunes as their favorite fruit. But what are the characteristics of when the fruit is ripe and when it can be harvested? In short: when is plum season?

In a nutshell

  • Ripe fruits can be recognized by different characteristics
  • for example appearance, smell and flesh
  • Harvest time is plum time
  • from July (early varieties) to October (late varieties)

Maturation process and optics

On early varieties of plums, the small fruits enlarge from June, on late varieties the process starts from mid-July. Many hours of sunshine are necessary for ripening, because heat and sunlight change the composition of the ingredients and the structure. Starch, acidity and tannins decrease, fructose builds up and the specific aromas of the varieties emerge. A slow color change of the skin visually accompanies the maturing process:

  • displacement of green chlorophyll
  • Plum takes on blue, violet-blue or black-blue hue
  • Plum skins turn blue, violet, red or yellow

Species-specific signs of maturity

The surface gets a different structure and changes its appearance. During the ripening period, plums cover themselves with a thin and dull-looking wax film, known in the professional world as a scent film or simply scent. It ensures that the juice and aroma remain in the fruit. Likewise, most plum varieties want to protect themselves and form a wafer-thin, whitish frost on their skin.

Notice: The fruit stays fresh longer if scent and frost are not washed off or rubbed off.

Lovers of stone fruit can choose from up to 2000 varieties, which are characterized by different characteristics. Three are helpful for the first recognition of the picking maturity:

  • Timing: early, mid, late
  • Ratio of sweetness and acidity
  • firmness of the fruit.

ripeness for picking and eating

The degree of ripeness also plays a role in the harvest and use of the stone fruit. When they are ready to be picked, the fruits yield only slightly. They are still a bit green at the base of the stem and the color typical of the variety has not yet fully developed. Eatable fruits are softer and juicier and they are fragrant. Fruits with loose flesh will form a shallow dent when gently pressed. Ripe plums are generally firmer. Plum varieties have a lot of juice and softer flesh.

Plum (left) and damson (right)

Tip: Plums break down easily because of the fluffy flesh and are suitable good for jam.

The color of the flesh is another aid in identifying the degree of ripeness. When the plum is fully ripe, it has a bright yellow, sometimes greenish-yellow flesh. Plum flesh can be whitish to dark yellow or even reddish. A fully colored fruit tastes sweet.

There is another point of recognition for the degree of ripeness with plums. A ripe fruit easily detaches from its stone.

Notice: Plums are ripe and at their full sweetness when the skin around the base of the stem begins to wrinkle.

harvest season

The diverse varieties of plums and damsons have their own harvest time. Depending on the beginning of spring and the weather, the plum season begins with the first harvest at mid-July in the Upper Rhine Valley. The early varieties are mainly suitable for immediate consumption.

They include:

  • Bühler's early
  • singer
  • Herman
  • Zimmer's early plum

The stone fruits can be stored in the refrigerator. They keep in the fruit drawer for about four days, retaining their appearance and staying sweet and juicy.

late varieties will end of September ripe and arrive very late until mid-October on the table. Ripe fruits of later varieties are particularly suitable for the kitchen and for processing.

One of them is always the long-established house plum. More variety examples:

  • Auerbacher
  • Presenta
  • President
  • St. Hubertus

The main ripening time for stone fruits in Central Europe is in the months August and September. It is the Peak season of plum season.

Tip: A plum season without fruitcake is incomplete. The classic Alsatian plum cake is densely topped with sliced fruit. With plums, the cake will be juicy, but not leaking.

preserve stone fruit

The stone fruits should be available beyond the harvest time. Various methods have already proven their worth in the past:

  • dry
  • canning in sugar water
  • put sweet and sour
  • soak in alcohol

Thanks to the freezing technique, the fruits can be used all year round, just like from the tree. The fruits are combined with ginger and spices to create a unique relish for cheese, meat and fish.

One of the classic ways of refining ripe plums is plum water, for example in Baden-Württemberg. “Zwack”, a plum liqueur from Hungary, has a long tradition.

Tip: Quetscheschnaps helps in the Palatinate, to digest a rich meal with Saumagen.

frequently asked Questions

Are the fruits healthy?

Ripe stone fruit not only tastes good, but also contains a whole package of ingredients that contribute to healthy nutrition: There are A vitamins, B vitamins from the B group, the trace elements calcium, iron and zinc as well as sorbitol (sugar alcohol).

Why do I get flatulence after eating plums?

The cause is sorbitol, also known as hexanehexol. It is contained in many fruits and is used as a sugar substitute by diabetics. Some people do not break it down sufficiently in their intestines. This creates a bloated feeling.

Does the color of the fruit matter?

The intense blue color of the fruit is due to the anthocyanins it contains. They belong to the group of flavanoids, which have an antioxidant effect and thus have a positive effect on cardiovascular diseases and are even said to fight cancer.

How do I recognize the difference between damson and plum?

Plums are on average five centimeters long, narrow, oblong to ovoid/oval in shape, pointed at one end with a fine longitudinal seam. Plums, on the other hand, have an average size of eight centimetres, are more spherical/elongated in shape, with a blunt tip and a distinct dorsal furrow.

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Garden plants