100 pounds of plums & peaches!

[Sahamamama]

:001_huh: My husband's coworker's wife's brother -- whew! -- has an orchard, and they just gave us about 50 pounds each of plums and peaches. So....

 

Is there ANY way to make peach jam/jelly/anything WITHOUT peeling all the peaches? Any good ideas for peaches floating around out there?

 

I know how to can the plums (just wash, prick with a fork, pack the jars, pour the light syrup, and process the jars). Does anyone have any favorite plum recipes?

 

Thanks!

[jmgconner]

My recipe recommendation is to send them to me. :)

 

No idea of a recipe for you, but how blessed you are with all that great fruit!

[RoughCollie]

If you end up having to peel the peaches and you don't know how to do it relatively quickly:

 

"Blanching helps remove skins quickly and easily from fresh peaches and tomatoes. Using a small, sharp knife, cut a very shallow X opposite the stem end. Gently lower the fruit into boiling water and cook until the skin begins to wrinkle—about 15 to 60 seconds, depending on the ripeness and quantity of the fruit. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, transfer peaches or tomatoes to a bowl of ice water to cool quickly. Drain. When cool, peel off the skins using a small, sharp knife."

 

http://www.bonappetit.com/tipstools/tips/2008/04/how_to_peel_peaches_and_tomatoes

[Tammyla]

What a wonderful gift.:D

[Sahamamama]

Any more tips or recipes? :bigear:

[Pink Fairy]

I don't can fruit, but for peaches I like to slice them up and then freeze them on a cookie sheet. I double bag and then have peaches for my personal favorite--cobbler--all year.

[cjzimmer1]

I don't know of any way to take care of peaches without taking off the skins but as someone already posted the blanching makes the process go quite quickly. I can do a bushel (which is about 45 pounds) in about an hour. To freeze them we do a mixture of 6 oz of frozen orantnge juice concentrate (reconsitituted with correct amou of water) and 4 cups of sugar. I know it sounds like a lot of sugar but it is easily enough for a bushel of peaches. Then just start slicing your peeled peaches into it. Sitr it up every so often. When your bowl is full, scoop some peaches into a quart ziplock bag (with whatever juice happens to catch on the spoon but I don't try to actually put any in the bag) and then freeeze flat. I like to eat them partiatlly frozen and they taste just like fresh sliced peaches in the summer.

 

I don't know much about plums. I know my mom has canned the blue Stanley type plums but if it is some other variety I'm not sure what to do with them.

 

Stephanie

[Sahamamama]

I don't can fruit, but for peaches I like to slice them up and then freeze them on a cookie sheet. I double bag and then have peaches for my personal favorite--cobbler--all year.

 

Do they turn brown? My mom said she tried to freeze peaches, but they turned brown. :glare:

[Sahamamama]

To freeze them we do a mixture of 6 oz of frozen orantnge juice concentrate (reconsitituted with correct amou of water) and 4 cups of sugar.

 

Stephanie

 

Do you use the OJ concentrate/sugar to keep the peaches from turning brown? Let me see if I understand your method:

 

1. Mix a 6 oz can of OJ concentrate with water & 4 cups sugar.

2. Blanch, peel, pit, & slice peaches into the OJ/sugar mixture.

3. Spoon out peaches only into ziploc bags & lay flat in the freezer.

 

Did I get it correct? Thanks a bushel for these tips!

[Robin Hood]

Am I too late? I've been making lots of freezer jam this year. Ball makes a no cook, low sugar pectin solution for freezer jam. If you have a blender, blend enough fruit to make 4 cups, add 1 1/2 c sugar and the pectin. Mix for 3 minutes. Put in jars and freeze. It's more of a spread, but it's yummy.

 

I've put together a batch now and then while I am waiting for dh to pick me up or for the kids to finish getting their things so we can be our way somewhere. It takes no more than 15 minutes.

[cjzimmer1]

Do you use the OJ concentrate/sugar to keep the peaches from turning brown? Let me see if I understand your method:

 

1. Mix a 6 oz can of OJ concentrate with water & 4 cups sugar.

2. Blanch, peel, pit, & slice peaches into the OJ/sugar mixture.

3. Spoon out peaches only into ziploc bags & lay flat in the freezer.

 

Did I get it correct? Thanks a bushel for these tips!

 

 

Yes you got it correct. The orange juice and sugar keep them from turning brown. Once you completely thaw them, if any are sticking out of the juice those parts will turn brown but anything in the juice stays perfect. You can scoop more juice into the bag if you are bothered by the brown look but mine never get completely thawed so it's a nonissue for me. I either eat them partially frozen or I cook them into pie/cobbler. Plus when I use them for cooking I prefer not to have a ton of juice in there but that's a preference more than a requirement.

 

You could certainly freeze them in some other container if you prefer but I like the ziplocks because they save space. Do make sure you have sealed them completely and wipe the outside of the bag to get any extra juice because otherwise the juice can leave a sticky mess in your freezer.

 

Stephanie

[Julie in CA]

I've been freezing the peach cobbler filling in gallon size ziploc bags.

When I'm ready for it, I thaw it out, top it, and bake.

If you're interested in the recipe, I'll post the one I use.

[Sahamamama]

I've been freezing the peach cobbler filling in gallon size ziploc bags.

When I'm ready for it, I thaw it out, top it, and bake.

If you're interested in the recipe, I'll post the one I use.

 

Oh, yes, please! Today (Thursday) is my day for working on the peaches. We would love to try your peach cobbler filling for the freezer, along with the freezer jam recipe and the OJ/sugared frozen peaches. I have a big freezer in the basement, plus our "fruit source" is bringing more peaches and plums again over the weekend, so I'll probably use all of these ideas.

 

Thanks!

[Julie in CA]

Oh, yes, please! Today (Thursday) is my day for working on the peaches. We would love to try your peach cobbler filling for the freezer, along with the freezer jam recipe and the OJ/sugared frozen peaches. I have a big freezer in the basement, plus our "fruit source" is bringing more peaches and plums again over the weekend, so I'll probably use all of these ideas.

 

Thanks!

 

4 cups sliced peeled ripe peaches

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon cold butter (chopped into tiny cubes)

 

First, set a large pot of water on the stove and get it to a boil. Set a large towel on the counter next to the stove. Put about 6 peaches into the boiling water for a couple of minutes, then fish them out and put them on the towel. Put the next 6 peaches into the boiling water, and while they're going you can pull the skin right off of the first six. When the second six have been in for a couple of minutes, pull them out and skin them while the third batch boils, etc. etc. The skins will slide right off--no cutting or anything, just pull them right off. After you have as many as you want, go ahead and chop them into bite-sized pieces.

 

I double the recipe above, because I have a sort of large family, and I cook *big* :D

 

Into a large bowl go about 8 cups of chopped peaches, 1 cup white sugar (you can use a bit less), 4 tablespoons quick tapioca, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, about 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, and a couple of tablespoons of butter (cut into tiny pieces). Stir it all around a bit, to combine. Pour or scoop the filling into a heavy-duty ziploc bag, and lay flat in freezer.

 

When you're ready to make cobbler, thaw a bag of filling, pour it into a baking dish, and top with whatever cobbler topping you desire. Bake at 450* for 10 minutes, and then 350* for 20-30 minutes more. Sometimes I add chopped pecans to the filling (and the cobbler topping too.)

 

This recipe is really good. Occasionally as my filling has thawed I've thought that it looked a little brown, but it always looks *great* after it's been baked!

[CherylG]

We own a relatively inexpensive dehydrator that I bought for all of the tomatoes that I usually grow. This year there was such an abundance of fruit (thank God! that we too ended up receiving lots of plums and peaches from friends) I just washed, sliced and left them on the racks and rotated them for two or three days; placed them in a zip lock bag. No one knew the skins were still on them but boy, they are the hit at our house. It's also a great snack for on the go.