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...
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!
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...
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| I just couldn't resist |
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!
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