Peaches

Whew! The last couple of days have been rather busy. Wednesday I was on a major cleaning/organizing binge. I got so much done and it was a lot of fun getting our house, especially the guest room and study, in better shape again.

Then today I froze 1 bushel of peaches. I enjoy canning and freezing but it does make extra work! Just for fun, I thought I would "walk" you through the process. First, I wash the fuzz off of the peaches and then I peel them and take the seeds out.

Washed peaches- notice the one that is sliced and seeded.

Next I slice them up. We like thin, small slices but that is just our preference- you can slice them any way you like. Then I add orange juice concentrate and sugar to them, stir them, and then let them sit for a bit to soak up the flavor and allow the sugar to dissolve. The whole idea of adding orange juice concentrate was new for me when we got married. That is how my husband's grandma did peaches and he loved them that way. So I decided to try it and was sold. It gives just an extra hint of flavor to the peaches and also keeps them from turning brown.

Sliced peaches, with orange juice concentrate and sugar- ready to be boxed.

Last of all I transfer the peaches to freezer boxes, mark the date on them and off they go to the freezer where we can enjoy them throughout the next year. I prefer using freezer boxes rather than bags for a number of reasons. One, they stack much easier in the freezer. Two, they don't leak. And three, you can use them for years unlike bags that you have to throw out before long.

Peaches in freezer boxes ready to be put in the freezer.

We absolutely love frozen peaches. Sometimes instead of just eating them plain we mix them with frozen strawberries and blueberries. One of my weaknesses is ice cream but I have found that I can eat frozen peaches instead and it takes care of my icecream craving and of course is much healthier.

I also can peaches, but not as many since we don't like them that way as well. Besides, I am convinced that freezing has to be healthier since the fruit isn't cooked.

I mentioned being busy. We have out of state family that arrived this evening and will have different family here off and on until Monday or Tuesday. Not that I mind! I love having family around. But I just want to warn you that I might not be able to post extremely often. I want to enjoy family when I have the chance!