Freeze Peaches

Peach season is always gone before you know it, but if you freeze your peaches you'll be able to enjoy the warm sweetness of summer all through the cooler months. To preserve the peaches' flavor, pick peaches at the height of ripeness. You can either slice them and freeze them in a syrup solution or wrap whole peaches in newspaper.

Steps

Choosing and Blanching Peaches

  1. Buy or pick fresh, ripe peaches. Pick out peaches that are fragrant and slightly soft to the touch. When you press them gently your finger should slightly indent the peach, but not puncture the skin. Look for peaches with no bruises or holes.
    • Get peaches at the height of peach season, rather than too soon or too late in the season. Peach season is different in various regions.
    • Peaches that ripen on the tree and were grown nearby will have more flavor than commercially-grown, grocery store-ripened peaches. Look for peaches in your local farmer's market, or go to a pick-your-own peach farm to collect your own.
  2. Prepare a pot of boiling water. Fill a large pot 3/4 full with water, and set it on the stove. Turn the heat to medium high and bring the water to a rolling boil. This pot of boiling water will be used to blanch the peaches, a step that helps to preserve their color, texture and flavor.[1]
  3. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Fill a large bowl with a tray of ice cubes and plenty of water. This ice bath will be used to cool the peaches down after blanching, so they don't keep cooking and turn mushy.
  4. Slit crosses in the peaches' skin. Take a sharp knife and make an "X" at the top of each of the peaches. This will make it easier to remove the peaches' skin after they have been blanched.
  5. Lower the peaches into the boiling water. Use a slotted spoon to lower them in. Blanch four or so peaches at a time and leave them in the water for 40 seconds.
  6. Transfer the peaches to the ice water. Use the slotted spoon to carefully move them from the boiling water to the ice water. Continue until all of the peaches have been blanched and cooled.

Processing Peaches

  1. Remove the peaches' skin. Use your fingers to carefully peel away the skin from the peach. It should come loose without trouble after the blanching and cooling steps. It's easiest to start peeling from the "X" mark across the top of the peach. Peel the skin away in strips and discard them.
  2. Cut the peaches in half and pit them. Using a very sharp knife, hold a peach in your hand and slice it in half, cutting around the pit. Cut all the way around the peach, then lift half of the peach away from the pit. Remove the pit from the other half of the peach and discard it. Repeat with the remaining peaches.
    • You might have to gently twist the peach halves to extract them from the pit.
    • Do your best to keep the peach halves intact as you separate them from the pit.
  3. Slice the peaches. Use your knife to slice the peaches into equal-sized wedges. Make them as small or as large as you'd like, depending on what you plan to use the peach slices for.[2]

Freezing Peaches in Water or Syrup

  1. Place the peaches in a freezer food storage container. Depending on how many peaches you have, you may need to use multiple containers. You can use either tubs or freezer bags. Make sure to leave a few inches of free space between the peaches and the rim of the container.
  2. Pour your packing solution of choice over the peaches. Freezing peaches in a packing solution prevents them from sticking together and helps to preserve their sweet flavor. Choose from among the following solutions to pour over the peaches, leaving half an inch or so of headspace between the top of the peaches and the rim of the container.
    • Water. If you prefer not to use any added sugar, you can add plain water to the container to help preserve the peaches.
    • Sugar. Line the bottom of the container with peach wedges, then sprinkle sugar over the layer. Add another layer and sprinkle it with more sugar. Continue doing this until you've filled the container to within {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} of the rim.
    • Syrup. Make a syrup solution by 4 cups of water and 1 1/2 - 2 cups of sugar in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Let the syrup cool, then pour it over the peaches.[2]
  3. Place the lid on the containers and label them. Make sure you include the date they were processed and packed.
  4. Store the peaches in the freezer. They should keep for 8 to 10 months.[2]

Freezing Peaches Dry

  1. Place the peach wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet. Make sure none of the peaches are touching, or they'll freeze together. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap.
  2. Freeze the peaches. Place the baking sheet in the freezer and leave it there until the peach wedges are frozen solid.
  3. Put the peaches in a freezer food storage container. You can use either tubs or freezer bags. Fill the container with the peach wedges, leaving a little room at the top. Since the wedges were pre-frozen, they shouldn't stick together. Label the container with the date the peaches were processed and stored.
  4. Store the peaches in the freezer. They should keep for 8 to 10 months.

Freezing Whole Peaches in Newspaper

  1. Buy or pick fresh ripe peaches. Stone-free peaches are desirable but any peach will do.
  2. Wash the peaches gently and pat dry with towel.
  3. Wrap each peach with newspaper. Wrap the peach in at least 2 layers of paper.
  4. Place peaches on cookie sheet and place in freezer overnight.
  5. Place the frozen peaches, with paper still on them, into large plastic freezer bags. Remove as much air as possible. Zip the bags shut.
  6. Place the peaches back in the freezer.
  7. Thaw a peach when you're ready to eat it. Take out a peach and unwrap it. Immediately put the peach under hot running water, rubbing its skin lightly. The skin will rub right off.
  8. Pit the peach. Carefully slice the frozen peach down to the stone all the way around, gently twisting the blade from side to side to loosen the stone.
  9. Eat the peach. The peach will be ready to eat in a few minutes and it may be used any way fresh peaches could be used.



Tips

  • Use a clean damp towel to help hold the peach while slicing, it will make the job much easier and safer.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://nchfp.uga.edu/questions/FAQ_freezing.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/preserving-canning/freeze-peaches/

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