Freezing Peaches

      I grew up in Texas, and before moving to Utah had never even heard of people canning/freezing fruits and veggies for the winter.  Obviously I knew people did this, but I thought that was limited to people who lived outside city limits, and on farms...little did I know I would be one of them.  I live in a perfectly civilized area, and now I'm one of those crazies who's freezing food for the winter.
     I found out that fresh produce can be very expensive here during the winter months, and I can only guess that it won't be to terribly fresh.  Having a little one in the house I decided that having healthy fruits and veggies around the house was a priority.  So this is the start of my endeavors...

I just couldn't resist

     We drove around "Utah's Famous Fruitway" to find out which items are in season, and looked fresh.  We drove quite a ways, and I walked in with my dorky notepad to write down prices, while Derek kept a watchful eye on Grayson who slept in the back seat.  Since it was our first time out, I had no idea what a good price was, but we did notice that it was significantly cheaper than our local Farmer's Markets.  I'll admit, I got a couple funny glances from those who noticed what I was doing, and I felt pretty silly, but I got the cheapest peaches available!  They ranged from $15 to $30 per 1/2 bushel (also a large basket).  So who's laughing now... I was so glad I didn't buy them from the first stand we went to!!!

     After arriving home Derek and I tackled the mound of peaches, washed all the peaches and made this mountain of them in the sink.

     Next we attempted a few ways of peeling them, and decided the easiest was to simply use a peeler without blanching them or anything.  Then you cut them into slices, and soak in a mixture of water and Vitamin C (we used 4 cups water, 3 Tbs lemon juice, and 2 Vitamin C pills).  Next place into small baggies with a little orange juice and seal with as little air as possible.  Then place these small non-freezer baggies into a gallon size freezer bag.  Don't worry, I will be reusing!

     8 whole peaches made for one lonely bag in our freezer...




     Garden Web was a very helpful site, also an article from ehow.com.  It will take me a few days to complete this project, but I'm very happy knowing that Grayson will enjoy delicious, fresh and local peaches through the winter.  By the way...he totally loves them!