One of life’s great luxuries is peaches. They are bright and tart with a floral sweetness. There are numerous approaches you can take if you choose to cook with your peaches. Peaches are well-known and beloved in sweet dishes like cobblers, but they also taste great in savoury meals like salads and even pizza. Unfortunately, peaches have a short shelf life after being plucked and have the propensity to bruise easily because of their thin skin. While the peach season will always be brief and precious, there are certain things you can do at home to extend the period when your peaches are fully ripe.
Unripe peaches
Peaches need a few more days to ripen before they are suitable to eat when they are firm to the touch and lack their distinctive sweet scent. They should be kept at room temperature on the counter until then. To prevent bruising, keep them unwashed and arrange them stem-side down, ideally in a single layer.
Ripe peaches
If you have a perfectly ripe peach but aren’t quite ready to eat it for any reason, store it in the refrigerator in a loosely closed plastic bag. You can store peaches in the refrigerator for up to five days because the lower temperatures will delay the fruit's natural ripening process. But be aware that the chilly air might dry out the peaches, so keep an eye out for wrinkling. If a peach in the refrigerator has creases, you should try to eat it as soon as you can or freeze it for later use.
Cut peaches
If you cut up your peach and can’t eat it all at once, you can avoid oxidation by brushing it with citrus or acidic fruit juice (like lemon or orange juice). Just keep in mind that as soon as you cut a peach, oxidation may begin to degrade the vitamins. For this reason, thicker pieces are preferable, and whenever feasible, slice the fruit just before you intend to consume it.
How to freeze ripe peaches
If your peaches are ripe and you won’t be able to use them all right away, it can be good to freeze them for later use. This is a clever move to preserve the taste of summer for usage all year. Slice your ripe beauties, then place them on a baking sheet and freeze. Put them back in your freezer after they have completely frozen by placing them in a plastic bag. They ought to last for several weeks.
