Freezing Peaches

I am the proud owner of 31 pounds of fresh peaches! Now the only question is, what do I do with them? There's no way I can eat all of these before they'll go bad. I'd like to can them, but I don't want to purchase all the "gear" (pressure cooker, bottles, lids, etc.). So, I have posted a few of the recipes I have used for these peaches: my grandma's fresh peach pie, frozen fruit cocktail, and I made freezer jam (for the recipe for this, you'll have to buy a package of pectin and get it from there as pectin recipes vary).

I still had some left over, so I figured out how to freeze fresh peaches. We eat crepes alot, I love smoothies, and I figured I could used frozen peaches for more fresh pies later on! So, I'm sharing with you how to freeze fresh peaches. It was VERY simple.

First, you'll need a bottle of Fruit Fresh. You can purchase this in the canning section of any store. It's basically a bunch of vitamin C that preserves the fruit and keeps it from turning brown or loosing its taste while it is frozen. For every 4 cups of fruit, you add 1 Tbs.

Second, you'll need lots of baggies so that you can freeze your fruit flat and save freezer space.

Third, you need your fruit. In this case, peaches.

I peeled my peaches, sliced them thin, and put 2 cups in each baggie (about 2 medium to large). Then I sprinkled 1/2 Tbs. of Fruit Fresh over the top of the peaches. Seal the baggie and shake it to spread out the Fruit Fresh. Squeeze the air out of the baggie and reseal. Spread fruit so that the baggie lays flat. Place in freezer. If you are like me and concerned about freezer burn, you can put a couple of the quart baggies into a gallon baggie for a double layer of protection.

Frozen fruit will last in the freezer for 8-12 months! Here's a link for more information:
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/uga/uga_freeze_fruit.pdf

Happy Peach Season!