You’ve just returned from your weekly trek to the supermarket, where you picked up some juicy-looking plums. They’re not quite ripe, though, so you carefully stow them away in the refrigerator, thinking they’ll ripen to chilly perfection in a few days’ time.
Oops! Bad move. As you’ll see below, plums fall into the category of fruits that must be ripened at room temperature in order to reach all their luscious, juicy potential. It’s only when they’re fully ripe that should you even think about refrigerating them.
Follow the handy guidelines below and you’ll enjoy the maximum flavor and shelf life from your fresh fruit every time. And by clicking on each fruit listed below, you’ll also find detailed storage times and tips, including freezing instructions.
The following fruits continue to ripen or soften after they’ve been picked; premature refrigeration will cause them to lose flavor and develop a mealy texture. Store these fruits at room temperature until they’re fully ripe or soft, then refrigerate:
Once the following fruits have been picked, they won’t ripen any further. Leaving them at room temperature will only speed up their decay, so you should store them in the fridge immediately after purchase:
The following fruits won’t ripen any further once they’ve been picked and they’ll last longest if you store them in the fridge right away. But it’s also fine to leave them at room temperature for a while, if you so desire (click on each fruit for specific storage times). For instance, you might want to include these fruits as part of an attractive counter-top fruit arrangement.
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