FREEZING PEACHES, NECTARINES AND APRICOTS

Michigan State University Extension
Preserving Food Safely - 01600394
10/13/97

FREEZING PEACHES, NECTARINES AND APRICOTS


  Halves and slices                                         
  Fruit in halves and slices have better quality when packed
in syrup or  with sugar,   but a  water  pack will  serve if
sweetening is not desired.                                  

  Select firm, ripe fruit with no green color in the skins. 

  Sort,  wash,  pit  and peel.  For a better  product,  peel
fruit without a boiling-water dip.  Slice if desired.       

  Syrup  pack                                               
  Use 50-percent syrup (1 cup sugar  to 1 cup water).  For a
  better  quality  product,  add 1/2 teaspoon ascorbic  acid
  for  each  quart  of  syrup.  Put fruit directly into cold
  syrup in the  container--starting   with   1/2  cup  syrup
  to  a  pint  container.    Press   fruit   down   and  add
  syrup to  cover, leaving 1/2  inch headspace.  Seal, label
  and freeze.                                               

  Sugar  pack                                               
  To each quart (1 1/3  pounds)  of  prepared fruit, add 2/3
  cup sugar and  mix  well.  To  retard  darkening, sprinkle
  ascorbic acid dissolved in water over the  peaches  before
  adding  sugar.  Use 1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid in  1/4 cup
  cold  water  for  each  quart   of  fruit.    Pack    into
  containers leaving  1/2  inch  headspace.  Seal, label and
  freeze.                                                   

  Water  pack                                               
  Pack peaches  into containers  and cover  with cold  water
  containing  1  teaspoon  ascorbic   acid  to   each  quart
  of  water.  Leave  1/2  inch  headspace.   Seal, label and
  freeze.                                                   

  Crushed or puree                                          
  To loosen skins, dip peaches in boiling water  1/2  to  1 
minute.  The riper  the  fruit,  the  less scalding needed. 
Cool in cold water, remove skins, and pit.                  
  Crush  peaches coarsely,  or, for puree, press  through  a
sieve.  Heat pitted  peaches  4 minutes in just enough water
to prevent scorching and then press through a sieve.        
  With  each quart (2 pounds) of crushed or pureed  peaches,
mix  1  cup  sugar.  For better quality,  add  1/8  teaspoon
ascorbic acid to each quart of fruit.                       
  Pack into containers, leaving  1/2 inch  headspace.  Seal,
label and  freeze.                                          


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