How to tell if a plum is ripe

The clearest sign of a ripe plum is that it has softened to less than 7 pounds of firmness when you gently press it.

A ripe plum yields to gentle pressure, softening to less than 7 pounds of firmness.
In many California cultivars, ripeness is shown by the skin color change described for that variety.
A plum that has begun to soften after picking is continuing to ripen and is ready to eat.
A ripe plum feels firm but gives slightly under your thumb, not hard and unyielding.

Too far gone: A plum that has gone too far turns brown or translucent and becomes stringy or mealy.

These signs are only probabilistic; the clearest test is cutting the plum open, which a shopper cannot do in the store.

Grounded in: extension.umaine.edu, postharvest.ucdavis.edu. Every sign follows sentences verified verbatim on those pages.

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