How to store prunes at home. How to store prunes at home: ways How best to store prunes

Prunes are an indispensable product for vitamin deficiency, as well as for improving immunity. It is eaten as a delicacy and also as an addition to dishes. But many people have a question: how to properly store prunes. After all, you cannot buy such dried fruit in a minimum quantity in order to eat it once. Surely you will have a certain amount of prunes left. And in order to preserve its beneficial and nutritional properties, you need to store it correctly.

How to prepare prunes for storage

First you need to select the “right” dried fruits. They should be large enough, without defects. The surface must be well dried. If you choose packaged dried fruit, pay attention to the expiration date. As a rule, it is no more than a year. If the packaging does not indicate an expiration date, then take the maximum period of six months.

Next, you will need to choose a container for storing dried fruit. It would be ideal if you choose glass or ceramic dishes with a thick rubberized lid. You can also take paper or rag bags with ties or clasps. It is better not to store such a product in plastic bags.

How long can prunes be stored at room temperature?

Many housewives store prunes in the kitchen so that they can be quickly found while preparing dishes. In this case, prunes are stored at room temperature. The maximum storage period under such conditions is no more than six months. But this also takes into account the choice of storage containers, which we discussed above.

If you store prunes in fabric bags, you must first soak them in salt and rinse them. The bags must be dry when you pour the product into them. Do not leave bags of prunes near spices and seasonings so that they do not absorb foreign odors.

If you have high humidity at home, it is best to store prunes in the refrigerator. Use glass containers to store in the refrigerator. Before you start storing, you need to sort through the dried fruits and throw out all questionable prunes. Periodically you need to open the lid of the container to prevent spoilage.

Let's summarize:

• Do not store prunes in bags;
• Sort prunes before storing;
• Do not try to store prunes for a long time. It's better to buy it little by little;
• The ideal container for storage is glass containers;

You can also check the quality of prunes. Take one dried fruit and lightly rub it on your palm. If there are black marks left, then this is a poor quality product.

Buying it correctly is not so bad, the other half is being able to keep it for as long as possible. At home, jars, linen and paper bags, containers or ziplock bags will help prevent mold from appearing. We will talk further about how to store prunes at home and what container to use in each specific case.

How to properly store dried prunes at home?

Before storing fruits, make sure that they are intact and free of any damage, stains or plaque on the surface. Well-dried prunes are quite dense and do not leave marks on the fingers when squeezed.

If you don’t know how to store dried prunes, then there are several ways: the first, and most effective, is to put the prunes in paper (craft) bags or linen bags. Such packaging ensures the best ventilation, and therefore prunes remain fresh for a long time. But the main thing in this storage method is not even the container, but the chosen conditions: the plums should be in a warm, dry and unlit place, ideally a pantry in which there are no pests. In addition, if strong-smelling preparations are stored next to the package of prunes, a linen bag or paper bag will easily let out all the odors.

How to store homemade prunes in the kitchen?

Without a pantry at your disposal, you can package prunes in containers with tight-fitting lids: jars or plastic containers, for example. Before use, the container should be rinsed with boiling water and then completely dried. About once a week, dried plums in jars will need to be stirred to control moisture levels.

The storage method described below is suitable not only for dried, but also for dried prunes, provided that you use a modern refrigerator whose chambers maintain a low level of humidity.

Since it contains more moisture than dried, it is much more difficult to maintain its freshness. As a rule, dried fruits are packaged in small portions in containers, jars or ziplock bags, and then placed in the refrigerator. Every week it will be necessary to check the humidity level in the container; if drops of condensation appear on the walls and the fruits become softer, the prunes are getting damp and need to be dried. You can dry the plum in the oven, after which it is returned to a dry container.

Tasty and healthy prunes are pleasant and healthy to eat at any time of the year. It contains many minerals and vitamins that are needed for the healthy functioning of the body. The dried fruits themselves are dried pitted plums. Prunes contain vitamins A, C, B1, B2, antioxidants, and tannins.

Ways to preserve beneficial properties

To successfully preserve prunes at home, you need to follow some simple rules. For storage, you can use wooden boxes, canvas bags, zip bags and paper bags.

Will fit sealed containers or containers made of glass, plastic or metal. The product should be stored at room temperature or can be placed in the refrigerator.

Storage at room temperature in an airtight container. If dried fruits are stored in glass or ceramic containers at room temperature, they will keep perfectly for 6 months. To prepare prunes for storage, you should adhere to the following rules:

1. You should select well-dried fruits without signs of defect.
2. Wash the container, pour boiling water over it and dry thoroughly.
3. Fill the container with dried fruits, close the lid tightly and place in a cool place.
4. Prunes purchased under-dried must be dried.
5. The condition of the fruit must be checked periodically.

Storing dried fruits in a linen bag and paper bag

Can be used to store dried fruits canvas bags or craft bags(packages made of thick packaging paper).

The main thing is that moths, ants and cockroaches do not settle in the room where dried fruits are stored.

When choosing this storage method, you need to take the following steps:

• A clean fabric bag is pre-soaked in a strong saline solution, then dried and filled with dried fruits.
• The bag needs to be tied.
• Thick paper bags are also filled in the same way.

Thanks to fabric and paper, dried fruits can breathe freely, do not become moldy and retain their properties.

With this storage method, strong-smelling products such as spices, tobacco and coffee should not be placed nearby. Also, you can’t put washing powder nearby.

Cold storage

If the temperature or humidity rises, prunes should be moved to the refrigerator.

The key to the safety of dried fruits when stored in the refrigerator is the fulfillment of the following conditions:

1. Purchased prunes are sorted to separate spoiled and damaged ones.
2. Dried fruits are packaged in small portions in glass jars with tightly closed lids. You can use containers or zip bags.
3. Dried fruits are placed on the door or shelf of the refrigerator.
4. Once a week, the moisture level in the container should be checked. If moisture does appear, the fruits should be dried and the container should be processed again.

Dried fruits are chosen for storage not only based on appearance. The fruits, which seem ideal at first glance, may have become so due to treatment with chemicals. To check the quality of the fruit, rub it on your palm. If traces remain, this indicates a low quality product.

If it is not known when the prunes were produced, then the dried fruits should be stored for 6–12 months.

For long-term storage choose well dried fruits. The fleshy fruits are used immediately for food.

It is better to prepare plums yourself. For this select ripe fruits which filled with juice and fell to the ground from the branch. They are dried in the sun for several days. Due to the thick skin, which is covered with a waxy coating, it is recommended to blanch plum fruits.

The plums are held for 20–30 seconds. in boiling water or boiling 0.1% alkali solution for 15–20 seconds. After blanching, the fruits should be rinsed with clean water. Blanched plums dry out faster.

Any technology can be used to dry plums. For example, if the fruit easily separates from the pit, then such plums can be dried without subjecting them to primary heat treatment. You just need to cut the fruit in half, remove the seed and place it skin side down. After it has dried, the prunes are dried either in an oven at a temperature of 55 degrees, or placed in the shade in sunny weather.

From 50 kg fresh fruits it turns out 10 kg of dried prunes. When stored correctly, prunes will retain all the taste and beneficial qualities.

Before eating prunes, the fruit should be washed in warm water. Used in its natural form. Salads are made from prunes and used in culinary products or they simply use it to decorate dishes.

If storage conditions are met, prunes will be stored in the house for a long time. And in winter you can have some fun delicious fruit, retaining all its beneficial properties.

Prunes, or dried plums, are a product rich in vitamins and minerals that have a beneficial effect on immune system, gastrointestinal tract, is useful for the heart, blood vessels and in many other cases, which is doubly important for spring vitamin deficiency. Besides, it's easy tasty treat, which can add a unique touch to many dishes, especially if it has been stored correctly.

Preparing prunes for storage

Did you know? The drier the plum, the more beneficial it is, since the concentration of vitamins and minerals in it increases. Properly dried prunes have the same amount useful substances, the same as the original raw material from which it was prepared, and the loss of mass occurs due to the moisture leaving it.

Best suited for this purpose:

• various containers made of glass or food-grade stainless steel (you can take enameled metal containers);
• thick paper bags;
• bags made of natural fabric;
• wooden containers;
• zip bag;
• plastic containers for food products.

Regardless of whether the container has been previously used or is new, it should be washed thoroughly. It is advisable to do this without using synthetic detergents that contain strong fragrances. Prunes absorb extraneous odors very well, and to prevent this from happening, it is better to use only baking soda to treat containers. After washing, the container should be rinsed well hot water, then pour boiling water over it.
It will be very convenient to store prunes in such containers. Whole fruits are best stored, without visible defects or damage, sufficiently dried, but not overdried. If everything is quite simple with the degree of moisture content of dried fruits (don’t buy over-dried ones, you can dry wet ones yourself), then you are unlikely to be able to buy prunes of an ideal shape, absolutely undamaged. In any case, some of the fruits will be of low quality, and the seller is unlikely to allow you to sort through all the goods, taking the best ones.

It's okay: save the best ones for long-term storage, use the rest first. Dried prunes are more suitable for long-term storage; dried prunes are stored worse. Although, if you use the oven and remove excess moisture, the shelf life of dried plums can be significantly extended. The bulk of the product that can be found on sale today is prepared by drying.

Such a plum, which is first doused with boiling water and then dried in the oven at a low temperature, has a higher moisture content (this is the reason why dried plums are stored longer). Of course, it is more profitable for retail outlets to sell a product that contains more water. This does not mean at all that a dried product is worse than a dried one - we are only talking about which processing method allows prunes to be preserved longer.
Dried prunes are useful for: anemia, loss of strength, chronic constipation, cardiac dysfunction, excessive nervous excitability, low body weight.

Features of storing prunes at home

There are some features that are mainly due to the following factors:

• method of processing the product (dried or dried);
• temperature and humidity;
• packaging and storage containers.

At room temperature

The simplest and effective method storage, during which the product retains all its useful and tasteful qualities. If the apartment has normal air humidity (45–60%), it is more advisable to store dried fruits in this way. As for a specific place, there are few requirements for it: it should be dark, dry, not hot, and preferably there should be no strong-smelling products nearby. A closet or pantry will do.
Selected (whole, undamaged) dried fruits must be placed in jars, enamel metal dishes, food-grade stainless steel containers or food containers, and placed in the place of your choice. If the air humidity is within normal limits, you should not tightly close the containers - just close the lids so that air gets inside.

Did you know?One day, an American businessman involved in the production of prunes decided to optimize costs by replacing workers picking the fruits with monkeys. For this purpose, the businessman purchased several hundred monkeys in Panama, which ate almost the entire harvest, and instead of enriching the enterprising planter, they drove him into debt.

Suitable containers for storage at room temperature are:

• glass jars, the neck of which can be covered with paper, securing it with an elastic band (nylon or screw caps should not be used);
• glass containers for bulk food products;
• unflavored metal tea cans;
• metal containers for bulk products;
• wooden barrels and boxes;
• enamel dishes with lids (cans, pans)

In a refrigerator

The refrigerator is the most suitable option for storing dried product. The same glass or metal containers are suitable as containers. But the best solution There will be zip bags, since such packaging takes up less space. Whatever container (packages) you take, it should not be tightly closed; constant access of air is necessary.

You should close the package tightly only if (and only for a short time) if there are products with a strong odor nearby. In addition, the contents should be checked every 10–15 days for any fruit starting to spoil and condensation. If such fruits are found, they must be removed from the total mass. If there is condensation, the contents are laid out on a kitchen towel and allowed to dry, after which they are placed in new bags or clean containers.

In the freezer

There is no need to place prunes in the freezer. Keep food products longer than 1 year is not recommended, including in freezer. In addition, in the freezer the product loses most of its beneficial qualities, and the taste after defrosting leaves much to be desired.

Important!If you have a lot of free space in your freezer, and using dried fruit involves further heat treatment, then you can freeze it. Just remember that you shouldn’t defrost the product after this; you need to cook it immediately.

In paper bags and bags

This storage method can be classified as storage at room temperature, but since it has some features, it is worth talking about it separately. If suitable containers are not available, bags made of linen or cotton fabric, or paper bags will do. The advantage of storing in this way is the free access of air.

As for the negative aspects, here, perhaps, it should only be said that dried fruits should be kept in linen and paper bags only in places where there are no pests (moths, ants, bugs). Before use, linen bags must be soaked in a salt solution and then dried.

Shelf life of prunes

If all conditions are met, the dried product can be kept at home, at room temperature and without loss of quality, for 7–12 months. As already mentioned, to extend the shelf life of dried plums, they should be dried in the oven at a temperature of +120...+140°C for 20 minutes. After the oven is turned off, the dried fruits should not be taken out immediately; let them cool in the oven.

Spread the cooled plum in a thin layer and let it sit for another 12–15 hours. Now the product will be stored longer. Dried plums, without additional drying, can be kept in the refrigerator for the same six months or a year.

To ensure that you always have the freshest and highest quality product on hand, try following some simple recommendations:

1. It is better to purchase prunes, especially dried ones, in small portions. Nowadays you can buy it almost everywhere, and you can always find fresh product and take the required amount with a small margin.
2. From the entire mass of dried fruits purchased, select the largest, most wet ones, and those that have damage, deformation. Use these fruits first.
3. You can recognize a quality prune by rubbing it on the back of your hand.. If dark traces remain, the quality of the product leaves much to be desired. Dried or dried plums of high quality will not leave such marks.
4. Dried plums should not be stored near foods that have a strong odor.(coffee, vinegar, herbs and spices, etc.).
5. If the air humidity is high in the room where dried fruits are stored, it is better to keep it hermetically sealed.

, should not arise for you. The main thing is to know about some of the features of the process and follow them.

We can talk about the benefits of dried fruits for a long time, so when visiting a supermarket or vegetable market, people pick up as many of them as possible.

It is difficult to eat a large amount of this candy substitute in one day, which means you should take care of suitable conditions for storing them.

Prunes do not require special conditions, but some nuances should still be observed.

However, some fruits sold by weight in markets are naturally dried. Such dried fruits, subject to certain rules, can be stored at home for up to 12 months.

The composition of dried fruits is much richer than that of frozen ones. If dried fruits lie for a long time in an unsuitable place, they will lose a significant part of their valuable composition. In addition, they will deteriorate much faster than required. It would be a shame to send delicious supplies to the trash bin.

How to choose good prunes for storage

For obvious reasons, priority should not be given to factory-made prunes. If it is not possible to make dried fruits at home, choosing purchased ones requires a serious approach:

1. Attention should be paid to fruits in transparent packaging, this is the only way to evaluate them appearance. If public access to the delicacy is open, you need to keep in mind that at home such a purchase will have to be processed more carefully, soaking dried plum in water with added baking soda. This will destroy harmful substances and disinfect the product.
2. Shiny goodies look attractive, but preference should be given to fruits with a matte, even shade. If the prunes are shiny, they have been treated with glycerin. But glycerin is not as dangerous as lipids of unknown origin, which can be dangerous to eat.
3. Prunes should not be completely dry. A good dried fruit will be slightly soft to the touch and springy.
4. Incorrect processing will give a brown tint. Most likely, such a product was scalded with boiling water before drying. This is done to increase shelf life and for antiseptic purposes. Such a purchase will taste bitter; in addition, scalded fruits are much inferior in vitamins to properly processed prunes.
5. High-quality dried fruit retains its shape - after pressing there are no dents left on the surface, so it makes sense to take the first specimen you come across from the total mass and check it by lightly pressing it with your finger.
6. On sale you can find peeled, pitted prunes. It is convenient to eat, and this delicacy is safe for small children. But there are much fewer vitamins in boneless prunes than in a product in which everything is in place.
7. It is very easy to check the presence of chemicals after purchase. Just soak the prunes in warm water and evaluate its appearance after 30 minutes. Qualitative natural product will lose color, dried fruit stuffed with chemicals will not show any changes.

Several types of dried fruits cannot be stored together, since different fruits require different moisture indexes.

Where to store prunes at room temperature at home

Rich in vitamins A, C, B1, B2, P, as well as potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium, the fruit can be successfully stored at 20 to 25°C at home. However, temperature is not the only criterion required. Prunes can be preserved in several ways for the winter:

• In a tightly closed container.

Suitable for both ceramic containers and glass jar. To do this, the best fruits without scratches, dents or other defects are selected.

The jar is disinfected by dousing it with boiling water and then wiped dry. The prunes are placed in a container and closed tightly, and then the jar is placed in a cool, dark place.

Avoid exposure to direct sunlight and storage of wet fruits. Remaining water is favorable for the formation of mold. You can preserve prunes in this way for up to 5-6 months, the main thing is to periodically look into the jar and separate spoiled specimens;

• In fabric bags.

The bags should be soaked in saline solution and dried. Then the prunes are placed inside and the bags are tied tightly. This method ensures longer storage than in a jar (up to 1 year), because the fabric material allows dried fruits to breathe.

But if there is a possibility of insect or rodent infestation (especially in country houses), it is better to choose the first storage option.

• In addition, this method is not suitable for rooms with high humidity levels;

Large quantities of prunes can be stored in wooden boxes.

To do this, dried fruits are sorted and placed in a container, covered with a thick cloth on top, and the box is placed in a dark place. As with a fabric bag, only a dry and dark place, without frequent changes in humidity levels, is suitable. With periodic inspection, the contents of the box can be stored for 8-12 months.

Other products, especially those with a strong odor, should not be stored in the place where dried fruits are located. It is strictly forbidden to keep the fruits next to household chemicals and herbs, since in such conditions prunes will acquire their rich aroma in just a month.

To keep the delicacy longer, you can pre-dry it in a low-heat oven (no more than 45 °C) for about 30 minutes.

How to properly store prunes in the refrigerator

• There are 2 ways to store dried plums in the refrigerator compartment:

The washed and dried product is placed in a bag with small holes made in advance, zipped up and placed on a shelf. This type of storage has a couple of caveats. Firstly, because of the holes in the bag, prunes absorb the smell of all the products in the refrigerator.

If you don’t make holes, inside plastic bag Condensation will quickly form and the supplies will become moldy. Secondly, the humidity inside refrigerators is usually high (unless it is a model with a no frost system), which means that dried fruits in such a place will not last more than 1 month;

• Plastic containers

It is advisable to use tightly closed plastic containers or jars. This way the sweets will be protected from foreign odors and moisture. And yet, even in them, the fruits will need to be sorted periodically.

How long can you store dried prunes at home?

Dried prunes contain much more moisture, so save them for long term will not work. Typically, such plums are laid out in small portions in plastic or glass containers and tightly closed.

As soon as condensation appears, the prunes are taken out, dried and placed back. If you're lucky, the dried delicacy will remain fresh for up to a month.

Prunes are not only a useful substitute for sweets. It is used in cooking and added to both compotes and baked goods, as well as meat dishes. Despite its wide range of uses, eating this dried fruit in large quantities is not recommended. Excessive consumption may cause digestive upset.