HOW TO FREEZE FRESH PEACHES

I bought these beautiful peaches earlier this week. I brought them home and put them in a paper sack, like I always do, for them to ripen.  A couple of days later, they were starting to smell like peaches. I have had them in the frig for a couple of days and today I finally got around to freezing them.

The peaches should be ripe if you want to freeze them. First wash and peel them.  So that they would generally be the same size, I cut the peach in half to remove the pit.  Then I cut each each half -- in half. Then I cut this "half" in thirds. 

I had prepared a mixture of water and lemon juice in a large bowl to put the slices in immediately. I had 4 cups of water and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.  This is to keep the peach slices from darkening.

After I had peeled two or three peaches and let them soak in the lemon/water, I took a slotted spoon and put the slices in a colander to drain.

Then it was time to start arranging them in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  I placed them as close as I could without them touching.  

Then I placed them in the freezer to freeze til firm...I allowed about 2 hours.

After I took them out of the freezer, I used a plastic spatula to loosen them.

See how nice they looked. Such a beautiful color.

I placed them in a quart-size freezer bag to store in the freezer.











They will keep 6 to 8 months in the freezer. To thaw, allow to stand in the refrigerator overnight and serve while still slightly icy or use in your favorite recipes.  The frozen peaches will work great in smoothies or pies, other desserts using peaches.

You can check out a fast and easy way to peel peaches when doing a bunch HERE.