Peaches are seasonal fruits usually available during the summer. But did you know you can actually enjoy them through out the year? By simply stopping them from oxidation and storing them properly in the freezer just to be precise.
There are two methods that you can use to freeze your peaches. One, you can freeze peaches loosely making it easy for you to get just what you need for a recipe and two, you can freeze them together in a syrup.
Best ways to freeze peaches
Before freezing your peaches always make sure that they are perfectly ripe. This is because, freezing unripe peaches will only slow or stop the ripening process leaving them soft and tasteless.
To ripen peaches, put them in a brown paper and leave them at room temperature preferably on your kitchen counter away from direct sunlight. Peaches will take 2-3 days to ripen. However, check them daily as they can go from ripe to overripe within no time.
Once they are ready to eat, choose the method that best suits you below to keep your favourite fruit fresh all year long.
Flash freezing
Step one. Clean the peaches:
Rinse the peaches under running water rubbing them gently using your fingers.
Step two. Blanch:
Put water in a pot and bring it boil. Add the peaches like 3-4 depending on the size of the pot and let them boil for 30 seconds. Transfer them into ice water to stop the cooking process and cool them for safe handling.
Step three. Peel off the skin:
Use your finger to gently take off the skin. The blanching process above loosens the skin making it easy to peel off the peaches with your fingers
step four. Slice the peaches:
Cut them into half around the pit, then twist the two halves to remove the pit. Once you remove the pit, cut them further into quarters to ease freezing. If the pit is clung to the flesh cut into quarters and twist the pieces each at a time until you are left with the pit.
Step five.Treat them:
Treat your peaches with lime or lemon juice to prevent browning during freezing.
Step six. Flash freeze:
Align the peaches on a baking tray in a single layer ensuring not to overlap them. Put them in the freezer for 2-3 hours. This method makes it to get the amount you need without having to defrost the entire pack since they freeze without clinging to each other.
Step seven. Package:
Transfer the frozen peaches into ziploc bags and remove any air inside to prevent freezer burns hence retain the quality throughout the freezing period.
Step eight. Freeze:
Put the peaches in the freezer and use them within 8-10 months.
See also: How to Ripen Pears
Freezing peaches in syrup
Freezing peaches in syrup will definitely give them an artificial sweetness. But the good news is that the syrup protects peaches from freezer burns retaining their quality for longer.
Here’s how to prepare the syrup:
What you need:
1 cup sugar
6 cups water
A pot
Procedure:
Put sugar and water in a pot, heat as you stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the syrup from the heat and let it cool.
After preparing the syrup, use the steps above on flash freezing up to step four to prepare the peaches and follow the procedure below:
- Portion the peaches in plastic containers
- Add the cooled syrup leaving 1 inch head space.
- Let them sit for 15-20 minutes
- Put them in the freezer
Peaches frozen this way will maintain best quality for 10 months although they will still be safe to eat after that.
To use the frozen peaches, defrost them in the refrigerator overnight or on the kitchen counter submerged in a bowl of cold water. You will need to strain the syrup before incorporating them in a recipe to prevent over-sweetening.