Delicious 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 useful properties

In order for prunes to be successfully preserved at home, you need to adhere to simple rules. For preservation, you can use wooden boxes, linen bags, zip bags and paper bags.

Fit sealed containers or containers made of glass, plastic or metal. Store the product at room temperature or refrigerate it.

Storage at room temperature in a sealed container... If dried fruits are stored in glass or ceramic containers at room temperature, then they will be perfectly preserved for 6 months. To prepare prunes for storage, you should follow the rules:

1. You should select well-dried fruits without signs of defect.
2. Wash containers, rinse with boiling water 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 needs to be checked periodically.

Storage of dried fruits in a linen bag and paper bag

For storing dried fruits, you can use linen bags or kraft bags(bags made of thick wrapping 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 cloth bag, pre-soaked in a strong saline solution, then dried and filled with dried fruits.
• The bag needs to be tied.
• Packages made of thick paper are filled in the same way.

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

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

Cold storage

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

The guarantee of the safety of dried fruits during storage in the refrigerator will be the fulfillment of the following conditions:

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

For storage, dried fruits are chosen, not only by their appearance. The seemingly ideal fruits may have become so thanks to the processing of chemicals. To check the quality of the fruit, rub it on the palm of your hand. If there are traces left, then this indicates a low quality of the product.

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

For storage for a long time, choose well dried fruits... Fleshy fruits are used for food immediately.

It is better to prepare plums with your own hands. For this ripe fruits are selected, which were filled with juice and fell to the ground from a 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 the plum.

Plums are kept for 20-30 sec. in boiling water, or boiling 0.1% alkali solution for 15–20 sec. After blanching, the fruits must be rinsed with clean water. Blanched plums dry out faster.

Any technology can be used to dry plums. For example, if the fruit is easily separated from the stone, then such plums can be dried without subjecting them to primary heat treatment. You just need to cut the fruit in half, pull out the bone and lay the skin down. After it has dried, the prunes are dried either in an oven at a temperature of 55 degrees, or put in the shade in sunny weather.

From 50 kg of fresh fruits, 10 kg of dried prunes are obtained. When stored properly, prunes will keep all the taste and useful qualities.

Before eating prunes, the fruit should be washed in warm water. Consumed naturally. They make salads from prunes, use them in culinary products, or simply decorate dishes with them.

Subject to the storage conditions, prunes will be stored in the house for a long time. And in winter you can indulge in a delicious fruit that has retained all its useful properties.

Prunes are an indispensable product for vitamin deficiency, as well as for enhancing immunity. It is eaten as a delicacy, and also as an additive to dishes. But many people have a question - how to properly store prunes. After all, you cannot buy such dried fruit in the minimum quantity 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 fruit. They must be large enough without defects. The surface must be well dried. If you have chosen a packaged dried fruit, pay attention to the expiration date. As a rule, it is no more than a year. If the expiration date is not indicated on the package, then take the maximum period of six months.

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

How much prunes are stored at room temperature

Many housewives store prunes in the kitchen so that they can quickly find them during cooking. In this case, prunes are stored at room temperature. The maximum shelf life under such conditions is no more than six months. But this also takes into account the choice of storage containers, which we talked about above.

If you store prunes in fabric bags, then they must first be soaked in salt and rinsed. The bags must be dry when you fill them with food. Do not leave bags of prunes near spices and seasonings so that they do not absorb the foreign smell.

If you have high humidity in your home, it is best to store prunes in the refrigerator. Use glass containers for refrigerator storage. Before starting storage, you need to sort out the dried fruits and throw out all the dubious prunes. From time to time you need to open the lid of the container so that there is no charm.

Let's summarize:

• Do not store prunes in bags;
• Sort the prunes before storing;
• Don't try to store your prunes for long. Better buy it a little;
• Ideal storage utensils are glass containers;

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

A quality prune should be juicy and sticky. You want to keep its deep sweet taste and soft texture for longer. Not all housewives know how to store prunes correctly. Healthy and nutritious, this dried fruit can stay in excellent condition for 1.5 years if the correct temperature and humidity are maintained.

Storage at natural temperature

Only properly prepared dried fruits are stored for a long time. You need to be sure of the quality of the product when buying. Ideally, berries should be purchased in transparent bags or in bulk from the market. If the plums are plump, shiny, relatively soft and free of mold, the product is flawless.

At home, prunes are kept in a pantry, refrigerator or freezer. The product is not afraid of the cold. Its main enemy is mold, which grows from excessive moisture. Each berry must preserve its natural moisture.

Optimal conditions for prunes are darkness, coolness, dryness. Storage in a wooden container, especially with a lid, will ensure the safety of the product for a year. The tree allows the berries to retain fruit moisture and not absorb foreign liquids.

In this version, you can keep prunes in the pantry. If a large volume of the product is prepared at home, it is better to place it in a tub or box made of natural wood, with a tight lid. Dry fruits are sorted every week. Mold must not be allowed to form on the bottom of the container. Therefore, having sorted out the berries, they are left to ventilate for an hour on a spread fabric. The container is ventilated the same amount.

Many people consume prunes for health purposes every day. It is more convenient for them to keep the product in the kitchen cabinet. The following types of containers are suitable for berries:

• glass jar;
• ceramic pot;
• tin container;
• plastic jar;
• a bag made of natural fabric;
• thick paper bag.

Some housewives put prunes in cardboard boxes from other products. This is convenient if the previous product did not have a pungent aroma.

Prunes in the refrigerator

Too fleshy and juicy fruits should not be stored in the refrigerator. Such a product is for quick consumption. Only well-dried berries are placed in the refrigerator. Convenient storage in bags with a zip-fastener. You can put the wrapped prunes on your refrigerator door or in the fruit drawer. The tightness of the bag will ensure the freshness of the berries throughout the year. It is important that odorous fruits and vegetables, such as garlic, do not coexist with prunes. The product will become saturated with foreign odors and become tasteless.

If the prunes are slightly damp in the refrigerator, they are dried. In housing with normal air humidity, natural drying is done - by sprinkling the berries on clean paper or cloth. The same method works if several berries are moldy. After removing the spoiled dried fruits, the rest are dried and poured into another container.

Prunes that have lost their firmness and taste like wine cannot be used for food. An irreversible fermentation process began in it. Such a product is suitable only for homemade wines and tinctures.

Garden owners often harvest their own prunes. Storage in a city apartment is possible in the freezer. Frozen in sealed containers or special bags for freezing, dried berries can be stored indefinitely.

It is easier to preserve prunes that have not been treated with chemicals at home. Therefore, you should choose berries with a natural shine or matte in the store. Too wet dried fruits need to be eaten quickly or kept in the oven for half an hour with minimal heat.

Delicious and healthy prunes are an amazing delicacy that has various medicinal properties. It contains a large amount of minerals and nutrients necessary for health.

Unlike plums, prunes are less demanding for storage, but they still have their own characteristics. Therefore, it is necessary to learn how to properly organize the storage of this dried fruit at home, so that it retains its beneficial properties and taste as long as possible.

Preparing prunes for storage

In order for the preserved prunes not to lose their taste, it should be properly prepared. First of all, choose a container in which the fruit will be stored. Glass and metal options are considered ideal, as well as paper bags and bags of natural materials such as cotton or linen.

In addition, you can use special plastic containers and bags designed for storing food. When using glass jars and metal containers, they must first be washed and disinfected with hot water.

The place where the prunes will be stored should be dry, cool and dark. It is best to choose a place that will be ventilated from time to time.

Prunes should be selected responsibly and carefully. Choose whole fruits, separating spoiled dried fruits with defects. If the prunes are humid, then they must be completely dried, otherwise the service life of the product will be significantly reduced.

Dried and dried prunes should not be stored in ordinary plastic bags, as the fruits will quickly deteriorate or become sticky. The shelf life of prunes at home is no more than 12 months, provided that all storage rules have been followed. Dried prunes have the longest shelf life, so if you plan to keep them in this form, it is better to completely dry the fruits first.

Dried options need to be bought in order to be used immediately for cooking, and not stored for a long time. At home, these fruits can be dried in the oven at a minimum temperature.

It is rare to find fully dried prunes on sale today. The fact is that during drying, it loses its weight, so it is unprofitable for sellers to sell it dry. Dried prunes can be stored in the refrigerator, strictly observing the storage conditions, otherwise it will become unsuitable for further use.

House storage rules

One of the most important factors that influences the shelf life of prunes is the choice of storage location. Among the most optimal places in the house where you can store this product, the following can be noted:

• Dry and cool place. It is best to give preference to the pantry, storage cabinets in the kitchen. The main advantage of such places is that the prunes will be stored at room temperature.
• In fridge. Usually, dried prunes are stored in cool conditions, but dried versions can also be put there. The refrigerator will be very useful in cases where the room is characterized by high humidity, unacceptable for storing dried fruit.
• In the freezer. This method cannot be called popular and effective, but some people resort to it in practice.

It should be noted that prunes can absorb odors, so this circumstance must be taken into account when choosing a location.

Features of storage at room temperature

Storing prunes at room temperature is the most popular method. It allows you to preserve the taste of the product and its useful properties. If you use high-quality glass or ceramic jars, then you can ensure the safety of dried fruits for 6 or more months.

If the prunes are not dry enough, then they must be completely dried so that the product does not deteriorate quickly. After that, select good fruit that is free from defects and put it in storage containers. Paper bags can be used if there are no suitable boxes. Store prunes in a dark, dry storage area.

The use of paper bags is optimal because the products breathe there and can be stored for a long time. However, from time to time you need to check them for the presence of spoiled fruits.

Refrigerator storage rules

The refrigerator is the second most popular place to store this product. The procedure is as follows:

• From the total amount of prunes, you need to remove perishable fruits, after which the dried fruits are divided into small portions.
• Choose a container for storage. Considering the coolness of the refrigerator, it is best to use glassware or zip bags. It is better to refrain from plastic containers for food.
• Dried fruits are placed in the refrigerator. If there is a dedicated area for fresh fruit, use it. It is not necessary to close the container completely so that the prunes have access to fresh air. Close the container tightly only if other foods that have a strong odor are also stored in the refrigerator.
• A couple of times a month you need to check the jar for spoiled fruits and condensation inside. If there is condensation, then it must be removed, and the dried fruit should be transferred to a clean container.

The refrigerator is the ideal solution if you plan to store dried prunes. The characteristics of the product are such that without coolness it will deteriorate.

Freezer storage

It is possible to store prunes in the freezer, but this is not always necessary. The fact is that this dried fruit is already a finished product that can be stored for a long time and without deep freezing. If you freeze prunes, this will certainly affect its taste, as well as vitamin composition.

You can store prunes for about one year, so there is no point in placing them in the freezer. Some people freeze prunes in the freezer if they plan to use them for cooking food and drinks where the product will be cooked. This allows you to ensure the safety of the beneficial qualities of the dried fruit.

Storage in paper bags and sacks

If you do not have glass and metal containers for storing prunes, then you should use linen bags, which have been popular for many years. However, this storage space can only be used if there are no moths, ants or other insects in the room. Clean cloth bags are soaked in a salt solution, after which they are dried and filled with dried fruits. Likewise, you should fill paper bags, close them tightly and leave to dry.

A distinctive feature of fabric and paper is that they allow prunes to breathe, so that it does not become moldy and does not lose its properties during storage.

Careful attention should be paid to the place where the bag or package will be stored. There should be no strong-smelling products, such as coffee or flavorings. Sometimes, even when stored properly, prunes spoil. This is due to the fact that before drying it is treated with various substances that reduce the shelf life of the product.

Thus, storing prunes at home is a simple task if you approach it responsibly. The most important thing is to properly prepare for the procedure and strictly follow the recommendations.

For tips on storing dried fruit, see the following video.

All the benefits of prunes are difficult to describe in a few words, if you want to preserve health and natural beauty for as long as possible, then it is imperative to add dried fruits of prunes to your daily diet.

This product will help in various situations, in addition, it has an incomparable taste that will complement not only desserts, but also salads or meat dishes. In order to enjoy the taste and benefits, you need to know how to store prunes at home.

Procurement and storage methods

Regardless of how the hostess got a large volume of prunes, whether it was harvested independently or bought on the market at a bargain price, it is important to store it correctly, otherwise there is a risk of losing the entire volume of the product. There are several ways to preserve dried prunes for a long time.

In glass jars

In such a container, prunes can be stored for up to one year and will not be disturbed by insects and other pests. But before sending the jar for storage, you need to observe some subtleties that will help the product retain all its properties for as long as possible.

• First of all, you need to prepare the prunes themselves. To do this, you need to sort out the dried fruits and remove the instances that are in doubt. The loan should be additionally dried in the oven, at a temperature of no more than 70 degrees, for 10-15 minutes. This is necessary in order for excess moisture to evaporate and in the future to exclude the formation of mold.
• Then you need to prepare the container. The jar must have a tight sealed lid. The container should be thoroughly rinsed, sterilized and dried. Remember that excess moisture in dried fruits is evil.
• Then, sweaty enough, we put the prunes in the jar so that there is as little air space as possible and we clog the container.

Since humidity is not dangerous for such a workpiece, it is worth placing the jar in the basement. A dark and cool place is a great storage option. The main thing is to avoid sudden temperature changes so that condensation does not form in the bank.

Canvas bags

This storage option is more demanding on the environment. For example, it is not advisable to store prunes in bags in a room with high humidity, it will become saturated with ambient humidity and begin to deteriorate.

• The preparation of the fruits is similar to the previous method: we sort out and dry them.
• The bags must be soaked for several hours in a solution of salt with a high concentration of the latter. Then you need to dry them.
• Then the prunes are put into the prepared packaging and sent for storage in a dry room.

A properly prepared bag and a dry place will protect the product from mold, but at the same time it is worth taking care that rodents do not choose the treat. How long can such a workpiece be stored? Experienced housewives say that with the right approach, dried plums will lie for at least six months.

Airtight bags

It's a great option to keep prunes in the refrigerator. In the case when the volume of prunes is not very large or there is no suitable storage space, it is better to place it in the refrigerator. To do this, you need to select suitable specimens and dry them in the oven. Then fill the existing bags tightly and close the lock, leaving a small hole for air to enter.

Thus, the product can be stored for no more than 2 months, so the method is suitable for small volumes. In this case, it is important not to place prunes near strong-smelling products, otherwise the dried fruit will be saturated with extraneous aromas.

Wooden barrels

In the old days, there were no questions about how to properly store prunes. Having received a rich harvest of plums, the housewives preferred to dry them and store them in wooden barrels. This approach allows you to save dried fruits for two years, while they will not lose their values. It should be noted that the method does not have any special wisdom.

• The dried plum is sorted out and dried.
• The product is packed in a wooden container and closed with a lid.
• Barrels are placed in the attic or basement.

Such a container is ideal for storing workpieces, but there is one subtlety. Prunes should be reviewed periodically to quickly identify rodent access to the product.

Do not store prunes in plastic bags or containers. In them, the product quickly becomes moldy and takes on an unpleasant odor.

Experienced housewives have many tricks to preserve the workpiece and protect it from uninvited guests. For example, a few dried mint leaves in a bowl of prunes will help keep bugs and other insects away. You can also treat the walls of the cabinet in which dried fruits are stored with vinegar. As you can see from the above recommendations, there is nothing difficult in storing prunes. Store food properly and eat only tasty and healthy food.