This past Sunday the family went out to Carter Mountain in Charlottesville for a peach picking adventure. I had gone peach picking one other time since living in Virginia but it was a little farther away.

I now remember why despite the amazing flavor of a tree-ripened peach, I have not gone back in a while. The picking was so easy for the kids as the trees were fairly young and short, that we ended up with 30 pounds of peaches…Unlike apples that last a long time when stored properly, peaches have a shorter life span. So for the last two days I have been boiling, peeling and pitting peaches; especially the ones that were bruised in the picking process.

How to Freeze Peaches to Use in Recipes

Besides canning peaches which I have not tried, to save peaches for later use, you must peel, slice and freeze them on a cookie sheet before adding them to a freezer bag. Since they will still probably freeze together slightly, you may want to measure the peaches before you bag them..

1. Wash and Dry Peaches
2. Peel Your Peaches (Quick tip for Peeling Peaches)
3. Slice Peaches to the desired size
4. Place on a Parchment lined Cookie Sheet that fits in your Freezer
5. Place In Freezer for a few hours
6. Store Frozen slices in a Freezer Ziploc Bag

How Many Peaches to Freeze for a Recipe

Quick Peach Bread (or Muffins)

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2-2 1/2 cups chopped peaches
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups flour ( I used half whole wheat flour)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 325
Beat eggs, oil, and sugar; cream well. Add peaches and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients and nuts, until blended (do not overbeat). Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 for one hour.
This batter may also be baked as muffins – bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

Too hot to have your oven on for 1 hr for a hot pie, try this refreshing cold version.

Cream Cheese Peach Pie Recipe

• 1 9 inch pie shell, unbaked
• 4 cups peeled, sliced peaches, divided
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1 tbs butter
• 3 oz cream cheese, softened
• whipped cream for garnish.

Bake pie shell at 350′ for 9 to 11 mins. until brown. Set aside to cool.

Crush 2 cups of peaches in a saucepan. Add sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and butter. Cook over low heat until thickened. Cool.

Spread cream cheese in pie shell. (easiest to use an offset spatula)

Top with remaining 2 cups of peaches. Pour cooked peach mixture over the sliced peaches.

Refrigerate or serve immediately with whipped topping.

How to Freeze Fruit Pies 

Pies are a great way to use up an abundance of fruit. last night I also made a peach blueberry pie. However I did not bake it, did you know that you can prepare most fruit pies without custard and freeze them to bake later.

1. Simply prepare the pie per the directions up to the part in which your egg/milk wash the crust and sprinkle with sugar.
2. Then cover the entire pie in tin foil and then place it into a freezer bag and freeze up to 6 months.
3. To bake the pie, unwrap the pie, glaze the crust if you wish, bake it at 425 for 10 minutes, cut vents i the top and bake for 20 minutes more. reduce the oven to 350 degrees and bake the pie until thick juices bubble through the vent, about 1 hr longer.