Question about plums

[AwakeAtLast]

Why do some plums never ripen? I've put them in paper bags and they stay as hard as a rock. When they finally get soft enough to bite into, they are dry - even to the pit.

Anyone know how this happens? :shrug:

[buzzycrumbhunger]

1. Because. . .

like so much produce, they pick them way too early and think gassing them will make them ripen enough? I've found far too much produce behaves this way from the supermarket lately--mealy peaches with no flavor, nectarines, most apples, and even my last batch of bananas was incredibly bland (never had that before). The fruit often stays hard and if it ever softens up a bit, you find it with mold around the pit and the inner fruit is dark and mushy.

For all the bad rap organics get, I'm afraid it really is worth it much of the time because they allow the fruit to actually ripen. I got hooked on Pink Lady apples and was shocked to learn the supermarket variety were nothing like the organic. Yeah, I bet their shelf life is great, but as food value goes? It's a ripoff.

Sometimes, you can force things to ripen by putting them in a bowl on top of bananas, which release gas themselves. If things have been picked far too green, though, even that won't help.