Freezing Peaches

I absolutely love when fresh peach season arrives.  Peaches make an appearance in my morning smoothies so here is the easiest and most simple technique I've found to preserve these sweet summer fruits.  

Start with clean, ripe peaches.  I find the less the peaches are handled, the nicer they look so I don't peel them, but you certainly can if you like (my favorite technique for peeling peaches can be found here).   

You'll need some freshly squeezed lemon juice to make an acidulated water dip that will help preserve the peaches color. 

The acidulated water is made of 1 part freshly squeezed lemon juice and 4 parts water. 

Simply cut the peaches into wedges and dunk them in the acidulated water. 

Then place the peach slices on a silpat lined sheet pan and pop them in the freezer for several hours until firm.

After the peaches have frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer bag for short-term storage, or a freezer-safe container for longer storage.

If you plan to use the peaches within a month or so, you can use a standard freezer-safe zipper storage bag.  For longer storage, use a sturdier freezer container or a vacuum sealer (here's the one I have).

An even quicker peach preparation to use in smoothies is to place the slices (not frozen) in a heavy duty blender and give them a blitz.  Then portion individual amounts into small freezer bags.  As you can see, the color has darkened a bit, but that's fine with me since the puree is going into this smoothie recipe.  

Note:  Freshly squeezed lemon juice can be added to help preserve the color, but that would change the overall flavor of the peaches so I opted to not do that.  

Items used:

(affiliate links)

• wusthof flat paring knife https://amzn.to/3NsttR7

• vitamix https://amzn.to/3r4FV1W

• silpat liner https://amzn.to/3NJ5Vsr

• half sheet pan https://amzn.to/35ZfEYe

• vacuum sealer https://amzn.to/42SqhUx

• short-term freezer storage bags https://amzn.to/3gy7Qi1

• long-term freezer storage container https://amzn.to/337r76Z

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Freezing Peaches

makes 8 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 ripe peaches, washed and dried

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 2 cups cold water

Directions

1. Peel peaches if desired.

2. Cut peaches in half and remove pit; cut peach halves into 8 wedges.

3. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and water; dip peach slices into water and place in a single layer on a silpat lined half sheet pan.

4. Freeze for several hours or overnight; transfer to freezer-safe container for long-term storage.

Alton's Edamame Salad

Here's my take on an Alton Brown recipe that normally requires using 400F oven for nearly an hour.  The outside temp here is sweltering and the last thing I want to do is turn my oven on so here's my revised stove-top version.  This delicious salad is perfect served at room temperature making it a great option for picnics and potlucks.  Enjoy!

Start by sauteeing the edamame and corn in a large, nonstick skillet until they both start to get lots of caramelized brown spots.  Stir frequently to prevent burning.

By the way, I used frozen edamame and corn - they thawed quickly in the skillet.

When the veggies have lots of caramelized spots, remove them from the heat and transfer them to a large bowl.  

I'm tell you what, that toasty corn flavor is key in the finished salad.  So, so good! 

Now cut up the sweetest tomatoes you can find.  I found this colorful variety at the farmer's market and they are bursting with fresh summer flavor.

You'll also need some chopped fresh basil and scallions (white and green parts).

The very last thing that goes into this simple salad is red wine vinegar.  It does something magical so definitely don't skip it.  Now toss everything well and it's ready to serve. 

Serve at room temperature and enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• large nonstick skillet https://amzn.to/3HDKZxy

• wusthof utility knife https://amzn.to/3JeWVGg

• bread board https://amzn.to/3spMZTI

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Edamame Summer Salad

makes 8 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen or thawed edamame beans

• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or half fine salt)

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

• 1/4 cup sliced scallions (white and green parts)

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Directions

1. In a nonstick skillet over medium high heat, saute the edamame, corn, salt, and pepper in the olive oil, stirring very frequently, until the edamame and corn turn golden brown in spots; remove from heat and place in large bowl.

2. Add remaining ingredients and stir well; serve at room temperature.

adapted from Good Eats