Blanching fresh peaches is a great way to retain their freshness long after harvest. You will need to blanch, peel, and slice them to preserve them for freezing or canning.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Preparing the Kitchen
Step 1. Fill the pot with water
Bring to a boil.
- The pot doesn't have to be very large. You can only add as many peaches as you can comfortably float in the pan – that's about 4 peaches for most pans.
- A broth pot set of 3 pieces with a removable strainer will work perfectly for blanching. You can remove the fruit without removing the boiling water.
Step 2. Make an ice bath
Fill a large bowl with cold water. Drop the ice cubes into the water.
Place the ice bath near the stove
Step 3. Find a large room to peel and prepare the peaches
Part 2 of 3: Preparing the Peaches
Step 1. Choose your peaches
Peaches with loose seeds (freestone) may be a little less sweet than peaches with seeds attached (clingstone), but this type of peach is easier to separate from the seeds.
- Clingstone peaches are usually available from mid-June. Freestone peaches are usually available from July.
- Store-bought peaches may have ripened after being picked from the tree, while those purchased at a local market may have ripened on the tree.
Step 2. Buy or pick lots of peaches
Blanching is best done in bulk, as you can blanch many peach clusters in your pot of boiling water.
Step 3. Rinse your peaches
You don't need to scrub it because you'll be peeling it; however, removing the dirt and chemicals first will make the boiling water workable for multiple batches or multiple times.
Step 4. Make an "x" shape cut at the bottom of each peach with a sharp knife
Two intersecting lines that extend deep into the peach will allow for expansion during the blanching process. This will also make the peaches easier to peel.
Part 3 of 3: Blanching Peaches
Step 1. Place 4 whole peaches in your boiling water
Stand close to him holding a slotted spoon.
Step 2. Time the blanching of your peaches according to their level of ripeness
The following guidelines are good to follow:
- For overripe peaches, blanch for 45 seconds.
- For ripe peaches, blanch for 1 to 1.5 minutes.
- For moderately ripe peaches, blanch for 2 minutes.
- For harder peaches, blanch for 3 minutes.
Step 3. Remove the peaches with a slotted spoon
Place the peaches immediately into the ice water bath.
Step 4. Let the peaches soak in the ice water for 2 minutes
The peaches should still be slightly warm, so they are easier to peel.
Step 5. Remove the peaches from the ice water and peel them
Place the knife just under the skin near the "x" shape piece and pull the skin off. Repeat on each corner of the "x" cut.
Step 6. Cut the peach in half lengthwise
Remove the seeds. Slice thinly.
Step 7. Repeat the process to blanch all your peaches
Tips
- Once you've cut all your peaches into slices, toss the peach slices with the lemon juice. The acid from the lemon juice will prevent it from browning. Toss the peaches with sugar and let sit for half an hour, if you're going to preserve them to make pies or other desserts.
- Freeze the peaches in a plastic bag or tin as soon as you finish blanching all your peaches.
- Ask someone else to help you in the kitchen. With 2 people, you can get into a rhythm where you take turns boiling, submerging and peeling peaches.
