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!

Frozen Fruit Cocktail

Here's another recipe to use when you have peaches that you just don't want to can. My mom has made this since I can remember. It's really fun to serve it in nice glasses when you're having a formal dinner. And it's so refreshing in the summer. I have scaled the recipe to a smaller batch of peaches, and it makes 8 quart size baggies of cocktail.

Frozen Fruit Cocktail

Ingredients:
16 medium to large peaches
8 cups green seedless grapes (1 large bag should be enough)
8 quart size freezer baggies

Syrup:
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1 cup sugar
1 can crushed pineapple
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. Fruit Fresh (you can find this in the canning isle)

Directions:
1. Label baggies with contents and date.
2. Mix the ingredients for the syrup and allow to sit for 10 minutes to allow sugar to dissolve, mixing occasionally.
3. While syrup is sitting, separate and wash grapes, putting 1 cup in each baggie. Peel and slice peaches, placing 2 peaches in each baggie (should be equivalent to 2 cups sliced peaches).
4. Pour 1/2 cup of syrup in each baggie. Seal baggie and shake to combine fruit and syrup. Squeeze the air out of the baggie, reseal, and place flat in freezer.
5. Keep in freezer until ready to serve. Serve in a small juice glass, brandy glass, or other small cup with lemon lime soda poured over it. You can also add other fresh fruit when you serve it, such as sliced bananas, strawberries, blueberries, etc.