Freezing Fresh Peaches - No Sugar Needed

I revel in a lot of things; one of them being peaches!  But not just any peach...those ones from the supermarket are often hard and flavorless.  A real peach, is ultra juicy with a to-die-for flavor.  My favorite type of peach is the Canadian Harmony - my mom and grandma have always touted the Red Haven; those are good too - but I don't know there's just something about the Harmony that is screaming delicious! The Harmony - like the Red Haven - is a freestone peach - in other words, it comes off the pit hassle free.  

Peaches are very easy to freeze thus making it a no-brainer to capture the sweetness of a Michigan peach to enjoy throughout the winter months!  I have always thought that you have to include sugar to successfully freeze peaches; I'm excited to have discovered another way!  The secret is citric acid; yep the same good stuff that comes from a lemon.  Only, you can think of it as in a more concentrated way.  I picked up a bottle of 100% pure citric acid from the Health Food store for under $5.00 - it's a natural preservative.  So not only are you not adding sugar, but instead adding an ingredient that brings its own health benefits. 

Follow these easy steps below and enjoy the sweetness of a peach - without the sweetness of sugar - throughout the winter months!

Choose firm, ripe peaches that haven't begun to spoil or turn brown.

Make a small slit in the bottom of each peach.

To peel the peaches more easily, put a few peaches in boiling water for about 30 seconds, then remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl with iced water.

And then dip them into a bowl of ice water.

The skins should slip right off.

All pealed and ready for slicing! 

As you can see, comes off from the pit super easy - making the entire process take no time at all!

So yummy!!  I couldn't help eating slices along the way! 

Sprinkle peaches with citric acid enough to lightly coat. When you stir
the peaches up with the citric acid they should look shinier, sort of glossy. This will keep
the peaches from browning.  Peaches frozen by this method will last up to 6 months in the freezer.  My peaches were extremely juicy so no extra water or juice was needed...

Four cups of peaches will fit into a 1-qt freezer container. One medium peach is
approximately 1 cup.  I filled my Ziploc baggies about half-full as I will use these a lot throughout the week as an oatmeal topping or in my smoothies.  

And, I even have leftovers...hmmm looks like I'll need to come up with a clean recipe for these boys! 

Keep it Clean & Enjoy the Ride,

MSF