consider the peach.....

tips for tuesdays

notes from maggie's farm

choosing the perfect peach

To ensure you bite into a juicy, sweet peach when you get home, look for these qualities when selecting peaches:

• An even background color of golden yellow for yellow peaches, and creamy yellow for white flesh peaches. Note that the red blush characteristic of some peaches does not indicate ripeness.
• A well-defined crease.
• A slight give to the flesh—neither rock-hard nor mushy.
• Avoid fruit with green around the stem (they aren’t fully ripe) or that have shriveled skin (they’re old).
• Most importantly, find fruit that smells how you hope it will taste.

Note: Peaches bruise easily, so don’t use your fingertips to check for firmness. Instead, hold the peach in your whole hand.

storing peaches

Store peaches on the counter at room temperature until they are the ripeness you prefer. When ripe, peaches should be stored in the crisper bin of your refrigerator and will keep for up to five days.

Tip: To quicken the ripening process, place peaches in a paper bag.

When storing fresh peaches at room temperature, be sure there is enough space between them to allow proper air circulation and use within a few days. Peaches need humidity, so refrigerate in a plastic bag. Peaches frozen in a sugar pack result in a better product than those frozen in plain water. puree or chop the fruit, add an acidic juice to keep the fruit from darkening, and freeze in a tightly-sealed container or plastic zip-top bag with air removed. Slices and halves can also be dehydrated.

peachy tips and hints

If the fruits are overly ripe, puree or chop the fruit, add an acidic juice to keep the fruit from darkening, and freeze in a tightly-sealed container or plastic zip-top bag with air removed. Although the fuzzy skin is perfectly edible, it becomes tough when cooked. To remove the skin, blanch in boiling water for one minute and then immediately plunge into cold water to cease the cooking process. The skin should easily slip off. Do not let them soak in the water.

peach-a-licious links

Recipes for Canning and Preserving
Keeping Peaches Pretty and Bright
Peach Nutrition Information

Stop by tomorrow for (almost) wordless wednesday at notes from maggie's farm for peach-region travels around the Texas Hill Country.  Have a great day.