[Michael D]

Hi all,
          Is it ok to freeze plums whole  off the tree  or do you need to blanch them in hot water first,   what  is the best way.    any advice please.  Michael

[corndolly]

Straight off the tree is the way I do it, if they are windfalls I wipe with a damp cloth.

[Paul Plots]

That's useful to know for next year... my little plum tree did well this year (its 2nd) but I am hoping for better next year.

Great jam!!

[Poolfield2]

I think you are supposed to take the stones out first or they taste weird

[Paul Plots]

There's a common sense tip......... I needed that advice....

Who said I lack common sense??  :blink:

[madcat]

I freeze damsons and greengages with the stones in ...  no problem with the taste.  Never thought about it before ...   

[Poolfield2]

Are the ok right through to the folowing year? Have I been wasting my time all these years? I'm sure one year I took the short cut and left them whole and they were "weird"

[Brambles]

I tried freezing just a couple this year (with stones in) to see what the result was.   When de-frosted they were soft, almost mushy, but fine for cooking.   Taste was ok though as I expected not quite as delish as straight off the tree.

[tode]

We find that plums are best cooked when thawed out, so we just cook 'em before freezing, which eliminates any danger of them going "funny".

[agapanthus]

We did REALLY well with our plum tree.......1 plum!!!!! rofl!!!

[oddpaws]

I froze mine whole straight after  :)picking and the taste didnt seem that much impaired, certainly didnt taste any different to the ones I had frozen with the stones removed.

[DD.]

The big advantage to stoning them first is that you don't freeze any maggots which you may miss when de-frosted.

[oddpaws]

Hmmm, do you think they add to the flavour?

[madcat]

I am embarrassed to say I still have some in from 2 yrs ago. I was going to make jam and somehow time has gone past.    

I pulled one out having read this thread and defrosted it.  Mushy and ready for cooking, but fine for crumbles, stewing for fruit for breakfast.  As Brambles says, not as good as off the tree but better than average for winter use.  Might be different for big plums with big stones?  - I've only frozen things on the stone that are smaller, wild plums, gages, damsons, sloes, that sort of thing.

But i never thought about maggots!   :blink:  erm .....

[SMD66]

I would stone and cook then first then they are ready to use. 
Our wild plum trees had millions this yr, we are raking them up and giving them to the pigs, they sound really funny crunching the stones!