Picking Italian Plums with Nolan

My Italian plum tree is perfectly ripe and Nolan's out in the yard helping me to pick them. The tree is absolutely loaded. It reminds me of the the plum trees I used to pick in my youth living in Auburn.

The perfect time to pick these is when they are still firm. How do you know when they are ripe? Well I've been pick one every few days to test the sugar levels. I like them firm and sweet with a hint of tartness. I'm not a fan of mushy plums no matter how sweet they are.