Recipe: How to Freeze Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots

FREEZING PEACHES, NECTARINES AND APRICOTS

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Halves and slices
Fruit in halves and slices have better quality when packed
in syrup or with sugar, but a water pack will serve if
sweetening is not desired.

Select firm, ripe fruit with no green color in the skins.

Sort, wash, pit and peel. For a better product, peel
fruit without a boiling-water dip. Slice if desired.

Syrup pack
Use 50-percent syrup (1 cup sugar to 1 cup water). For a
better quality product, add 1/2 teaspoon ascorbic acid (Fruit Fresh)
for each quart of syrup. Put fruit directly into cold
syrup in the container--starting with 1/2 cup syrup
to a pint container. Press fruit down and add
syrup to cover, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Seal, label
and freeze.

Sugar pack
To each quart (1 1/3 pounds) of prepared fruit, add 2/3
cup sugar and mix well. To retard darkening, sprinkle
ascorbic acid dissolved in water over the peaches before
adding sugar. Use 1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid in 1/4 cup
cold water for each quart of fruit. Pack into
containers leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Seal, label and
freeze.

Water pack
Pack peaches into containers and cover with cold water
containing 1 teaspoon ascorbic acid to each quart
of water. Leave 1/2 inch headspace. Seal, label and
freeze.

Crushed or puree
To loosen skins, dip peaches in boiling water 1/2 to 1
minute. The riper the fruit, the less scalding needed.
Cool in cold water, remove skins, and pit.
Crush peaches coarsely, or, for puree, press through a
sieve. Heat pitted peaches 4 minutes in just enough water
to prevent scorching and then press through a sieve.
With each quart (2 pounds) of crushed or pureed peaches,
mix 1 cup sugar. For better quality, add 1/8 teaspoon
ascorbic acid to each quart of fruit.
Pack into containers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Seal,
label and freeze.