The peach season always passes too quickly, but if you freeze these delicious fruits, you will be able to enjoy their rich and sweet taste, typically summer, even in the colder months. To preserve the taste of peaches, harvest them when they are at their peak of ripeness. You can slice them and freeze them in syrup or wrap them whole in newspaper again.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Choose and Bleach the Peaches
Step 1. Buy or harvest fresh, ripe peaches
Choose ones that have a fragrant smell and are slightly soft to the touch. When you squeeze them with your fingers, they should give way a little, but the skin shouldn't crack. Look for fruits that don't have holes or dents.
- Catch peaches at the best time of the season, not too early but not too late either. This depends from region to region.
- Those that have the opportunity to ripen on the tree and have been grown nearby are much tastier than those sold through large-scale distribution channels and industrially ripened. Buy fruit at a farmer's market or ask a local farmer.
Step 2. Prepare a pot of boiling water
Fill a large pot with water to ¾ of its capacity and place it on the stove. Turn the heat on to medium-high and wait for the water to come to a full boil. You will need the water to whiten the fruit, so as to preserve its color, texture and flavor.
Step 3. Also prepare a bowl of water and ice
Fill a large container with a tray of ice cubes and plenty of water. Inside this bowl you will place the freshly bleached peaches to stop cooking and prevent them from becoming soggy.
Step 4. Engrave an "x" on the peel of the fruit
Use a sharp knife for this; this will make it easier to peel the peaches after blanching them.
Step 5. Put the peaches in the boiling water
Use a skimmer to gently lower them into the water. Blanch about four at a time and leave them in the water for no more than 40 seconds.
Step 6. Transfer the peaches to the ice water
Always use the skimmer to move them from the pot to the bowl. Continue like this until all the fruit has been bleached and cooled.
Method 2 of 5: Working the Peaches
Step 1. Remove the peel from the fruit
Use your fingers and, with great care, peel the peel from the pulp. It shouldn't put up much resistance once bleached and cooled every peach. If you start from where you engraved the "x", the process will be easier. Remove the peel in strips and discard.
Step 2. Cut each peach in half and remove the pit
Use a very sharp knife and cut it in half, sliding the blade around the core. Cut the fruit around its entire circumference, lift half of it and remove the core from the other. Sow the seed and repeat this step for all peaches at your disposal.
- You will need to twist the two halves of each fruit slightly to separate them from the seed.
- Do your best to keep the two halves intact.
Step 3. Slice the fruit
Always use the sharp knife and cut each peach into evenly sized slices. They can be large or small, depending on your preferences and how you want to use them.
Method 3 of 5: Freeze Peaches in Water or Syrup
Step 1. Place the peaches in a container suitable for freezing
The number of containers varies according to the amount of fruit you want to keep. You can use both freezer bags and rigid containers with lids. Remember to leave a few inches of space between the edge of the container and the fruit.
Step 2. Add the preservative liquid of your choice
This prevents the fruit slices from sticking to each other and also preserves their flavor. Choose one of the following solutions to pour over the peaches, but leave just over an inch of free space from the edge of the container.
- Waterfall. If you prefer to avoid adding sugar, consider using plain water to preserve the peaches.
- Sugar. Line the base of the container with some peach wedges, sprinkle the sugar and add another layer of fruit. Pour in more sugar and continue with this layered pattern until you are 1.5 cm from the top edge of the container.
- Syrup. Make a syrup with 1 liter of water and 300-400 g of sugar. Heat the mixture in a saucepan until the sugar is completely dissolved, wait for it to cool and finally pour the syrup over the peaches.
Step 3. Cover each container and add the label
Remember to write down the date you made the peaches and the type of solution they are immersed in.
Step 4. Return the fruit to the freezer
It can be kept for 8-10 months.
Method 4 of 5: Freeze Peaches to Dry
Step 1. Arrange the peach slices on a baking sheet so they form a single layer
Make sure they don't come into contact with each other or they will freeze in a single block. Protect them with a sheet of cling film.
Step 2. Return the pan to the freezer
Wait until all the slices have become solid.
Step 3. Transfer the fruit to a container
You can use freezer bags or rigid containers with lids, but in both cases, remember to leave some space between the top edge and the peach layer. Since the slices were previously frozen individually, they will not stick together. Add a label to the bag stating the preparation date.
Step 4. Return the fruit to the freezer
It will keep for 8-10 months.
Method 5 of 5: Freeze Whole Peaches in Newspaper Sheets
Step 1. Purchase or harvest ripe peaches
Choose the "spaccarella" variety because the stone peels off easily, even if you can use the peaches you love the most.
Step 2. Wash each fruit carefully and pat dry with a clean cloth
Step 3. Wrap each peach in newspaper
Make at least two layers of paper form around the fruit.
Step 4. Arrange the peaches on a baking sheet and then transfer everything to the freezer overnight
Step 5. Place the paper-lined peaches in large plastic bags
Try to get as much air out as possible and then seal the containers.
Step 6. Return the fruit to the freezer
Step 7. When you want to eat a peach, defrost it
Remove it from the freezer and free it from the sheet of paper. Immediately put it under hot running water by lightly rubbing the peel. This should come off without difficulty.
Step 8. Remove the core
Slice the fruit carefully, bringing the blade close to and around the stone. Gently pry with the knife to loosen the stone from the pulp.
Step 9. Eat the fruit
At this point the peach is ready to eat within a few minutes or you can incorporate it into a recipe as if it were fresh.
