I apologize. This blog has been a little neglected. The truth is I have not been cooking. Unless you count grilled cheese sandwiches and nachos. September is always an insane month for me. And frankly I just run out of time to cook or even eat a real meal. But September is also the month for peaches. And last winter I was so disappointed because I had no canned peaches set aside.
So, I promised myself there would be peaches set aside this year. But frankly I am more busy than ever and a day of canning in the kitchen is just not in the works this September. So I am taking the short cut route for now and freezing peaches. They are just as good. And there are a couple different ways I like to do them.
But first you need to prep and peel your peaches.
Wash peaches
Plunge into boiling water for 45 seconds
Plunge immediately into ice water 30 seconds. I add Fruit Fresh (ascorbic acid) to my ice water to help peaches retain their color.
Peels should slide off easily or you can remove easily with a paring knife. If the peaches are not ripe the peel will still be hard to remove.
Slice peaches down middle remove core and slice into 1/4 inch slices. (If you did not add Fruit Fresh to ice water you may want to drizzle or toss slices with lemon juice.
Frozen Fruit Boxes
Fill freezer friendly container within an inch to half inch of top. Add white grape juice or white grape/peach juice to container. Do not fill to top or it will overflow. Plus once your fruit is frozen it will expand.
I place my containers in freezer bags just in case there is overflow. Stack in freezer.
Remove and defrost when ready to eat. Tastes almost fresh.
Flash Freeze Peaches.
I love smoothies and so I always freeze fruit specifically for smoothies. If you flash freeze your peaches they will not all stick together in one big clump.
Place peach slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in freezer for at least 4 hours. Remove from freezer and add peach slices to a freezer bag.
