Are peaches your favorite fruit? Peaches are delicious and one of the most nutritious fruit to enjoy. Do you know that we can eat their skin? Yes, there is nothing to waste when it comes to peaches.
Have you bought plenty of peaches lately? When their season, it’s an opportunity to stock and store peaches. It saves money and gives you the luxury of eating them off season. However, peaches continue to ripen even after picking.
How to store peaches at home so it would last for a long time? We learned how to store grapefruit before so why not try peaches this time? Let’s find out how easy and convenient the steps are going to be. Let me guide you in doing it the right way!
More…
How To Store Peaches?
How To Store Peaches?
Peaches are delicate. They easily bruise at a slight bump. That’s why never squeeze them while trying to buy. They should be soft to the touch and look red or “blush” in color. The color does not indicate its ripeness, though.
Knowing how ripe your peach is important if you want to store them for long. Here’s how you would know:
- Color – Peaches turns golden in color when ripe with a reddish blush behind. You’ll know if it has fully ripened when the color is yellow hue.
- Smell – Sniffing the peach may misguide you so ask for the help of the farmer at the market. Usually, peaches smell sweet like what you’d expect the taste would be. If there’s no scent, the peach is probably under-ripe.
- Feel – If peaches are soft, that means they are ready to be eaten, not-so-soft can be eaten after 2-3 days while super-soft ones are over-ripe. However, they can still be tasty to eat.
Hard peaches are the best candidate for storing since they will ripen in 1-2 weeks. Avoid very hard peaches.
If done correctly, peaches can stay sweet and harmless to eat for days. But if you want to store them longer, you’ll need to freeze them. Ripe and unripe peaches require different storing.
What Do You Need To Store The Peaches?
- Paper bags.
- Paper towels.
- Resealable plastic bags.
- Coating brush.
- Lemon juice.
- Any sealed container.
- Sugar.
- Ascorbic acid.
So before you start, sort your peaches according to ripeness. Try to base them on what you learned above. Color, smell and feel. When you’re done, let’s start with the first method.
1. Storing Peaches That Are Still Unripe
You have to wait for these peaches to ripen before you decide whether to eat right away or freeze them. Here’s how to do it.
Step by step instructions:
1. Get a paper bag and put all your unripe peaches inside. You can place unripe peaches in one bag but don’t include any ripe one. Putting them in paper bags will make the peaches ripen fast.
- Don’t stuff the bag too much. Make space for the peaches to breathe. Careless putting may bruise their delicate skin. Don’t close the bag completely.
- Never use plastic bags or airtight containers for peaches. You’ll deprive them of airflow.
2. Set them aside and store at room temperature for a few days. It would actually depend on how ripe your peaches are. Usually, it would take 2-3 days before they fully mature. I suggest you put it on top of your kitchen counter and check on them once in a while.
- Once you see one that is already ripe, take it out immediately.
- Never freeze unripe peaches. It would cause discoloration in their flesh, decrease their flavor, juiciness and change their texture.
- Room temperature is the best storage condition for the unripe peaches, but 11 degrees C is also fine.
2. Storing Ripe Peaches
You’ve got too many ripe peaches on hand? You can still buy some time to maximize its sweetness.
Step by step instructions:
1. Rinse the peaches thoroughly. You clean them under cool running water and rub gently. Use your fingers only and never use a brush or some rough tools. You need to dry them up with paper towels one by one.
2. Place your fully ripe peaches inside a plastic bag. Note that you can put many in one bag but not too crowded to prevent bruising of the skin. When done, make sure that the bag is sealed properly. Airtight sealing won’t allow the airflow inside – never use a paper bag.
3. Refrigerate for a few days. Place the peaches in a plastic bag inside the fridge. The average shelf life of ripe peaches in the refrigerator is around six days, but sometimes it would still be good for a week.
- When it’s time to take the peaches out of the fridge, let them stay at room temperature for an average of 30 minutes before eating. It’s a trick to bring back their usual sweet and juicy flavor.
3. Storing Cut Or Opened Peaches
Have you opened too many and need to store them for future consumption? Here’s how to do it.
Step by step instructions:
1. Use the lemon juice to coat your slices of peaches. If you have a brush, coat lemon juice to each slice of peach. This will prevent the peach slices from discoloration. Any solution made from concentrated citric acid will do the trick.
2. Put the slices inside any tightly-sealed container. Arrange your cut peaches inside the container properly and seal it tight to prevent excess air.
- Don’t stuff too much or it may damage the quality of your peaches.
- When using plastic bags, ensure that all air is out before sealing.
3. Refrigerate. Place the sealed slices in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days. Sliced peaches do not last long, so it’s best to eat them in the following period.
4. Freezing Ripe Peaches
What to do with the rest of the ripe peaches? Eaten enough and stored in the fridge enough. It’s time for freezing!
Step by step instructions:
1. Combine sugar and Ascorbic acid. Mix 5 ml of ascorbic acid and 1 cup of granulated sugar. This will serve as a preservative and will prevent discoloration after cutting.
2. Rinse and cut the peaches. Clean the peaches with cold water and cut them to your preference.
- Sliced peaches brown fast so make batches.
- Cold water is best to keep the slices firm.
- Don’t forget to remove the pit first before proceeding.
- You can store them with skin or without. If you prefer without, you need to blanch each first before peeling.
3. Coat the peaches with the sugar mix. Sprinkle and cover each slice thoroughly. Don’t leave a spot not coated.
4. Place all the coated slices into sealed containers. Layer the slices inside but don’t over pack. Fill the jug or jar you used until ¾ full. This will provide space for the peaches to expand during the freezing process.
5. Freeze. Place all your filled jars inside the freezer. Frozen peaches will last one year on average. When it’s time to use, thaw them first before eating. You can thaw them in the fridge for a few hours or let them stand at room temperature for about an hour.
There are so many varieties of peaches sold all over the world. It does not matter what kind you have since the storing process would always be the same. You can now safely shop for as many as you want. Remember the steps you’ve learned on how to store peaches, and you’ll never go wrong.
