How to Dry Plums for Long-Term Storage Just Like Grandma

For those who want to preserve the ways of the past, including cooking methods used by our grandparents, drying or canning foods is a good option to preserve left-over foods from harvests. To dry plums, you will need either an oven or food dehydrator, plums, and an airtight container. Freestone plums have skins that peel away easier than some, and you will want to use plums with tight skin that don’t give much when pressed on. Start by washing and removing any stems or leaves, cut down to the pit, then slice as you wish. Layer in the dehydrator or oven at 135 degrees and rotate every few hours for 8-18 hours. Whole plums could take up to 36 hours. You can do this outside in the sun, which may take up to 5 days. Be sure to store in an airtight container.

Key Takeaways:

You can preserve food that is left-over from harvest or that you enjoy when it is not in season by drying or canning.
You don’t need much to dehydrate your own plums, just an oven or food dehydrator, plums, and airtight containers.
Put the sliced plums in layers in the oven at 135 degrees and rotate every few hours for 8-18 hours.

“When choosing plums for the dehydration process look for plums that have a taut skin, and are ripe to the point of yielding only slightly when pressure is applied. If the plum is too soft it will be difficult to remove the pit, and slicing could leave you with a mushy texture.”