Peaches, Peaches, And Peaches

[Winchester]

I bought 2 bushels of peaches yesterday on my way home from work. Most of them are for canning, but I'm going to make 8 peach dumplings (4 for us, 4 for my sister and BIL), a peaches and cream pie, and a two-crust peach pie.

What do you like best about peaches? What's your favorite way to serve them? Pie? Cake? Ice cream? How do you eat your peaches?

 

[Norachan]

Nom nom nom nom nom!

I love peaches. I love all fruit, but peaches are one of my favourites. I just slice them up and eat them as they are, or have them in a fruit salad. Know why I love fruit? Because you don't have to cook it.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

i like peaches, but don't buy fresh ones often. peach pies are good, as is ice cream with sliced peaches.

honestly, i mostly eat canned peaches. so if i came across fresh peaches at a good price, i'd can them.

 

[Mother Dragon]

It has to be peach cobbler at our house. And peach milk shakes.

You're taking on a monster job, canning in this heat. However, you should make a couple of extra dumplings to send to Texas. I'll send you some Bluebell ice cream to go with yours.

 

[maggiedemi]

I don't even like dessert much, but all those things you just mentioned sound delicious- peaches & cream pie, peach dumplings, two crust peach pie. I just might start liking dessert if you send me some of that.

 

[bodester413]

Canned peaches over vanilla ice cream is delicious. Sometimes I'll take a fresh peach and slice it up and sprinkle sugar over the slices and eat it like that.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I love peaches! I just grab one and eat mostly. But peach cobbler and pie are good. One of my favorite smoothies is peach banana. A local orchard serves good homemade peach ice cream.

I have made one fresh peach pie. It was good; but getting the skin off was work!

 

[denice]

I usually just eat them as is. I do like good peach ice cream.

 

[Winchester]

We ended up with 15 quarts of peach halves and ten quarts of peach quarters, one peaches and cream pie (which Dear Richard is devouring), one two-crust peach pie (in the freezer), and 8 peach dumplings (my sister and BIL came over last night to help us eat the dumplings). The dumplings were, but nothing to write home about. Overall, I wasn't impressed and will probably stick to apple dumplings from here on in.

I still have a good peck or so of peaches left, so I may make a couple more two-crust pies for the freezer. Peaches are such a soft fruit and they don't keep well at all; I need to find stuff to do with them. Rick mentioned shortcake, too, which would work because I have some whipping cream leftover from the peaches and cream pie that I could whip to have with the shortcake.

I do love to sit down and eat a fresh peach, skin and all. But I think I like nectarines more, simply because they don't have all the fuzz; even washing and drying the peach doesn't get rid of all the fuzz.

They say that a good way to slip skins off peaches easily is to put them in boiling water for a minute, then put them in cold water; the skins should slip off. Yeah, that works....to a certain extent.

It was a very busy day, it got hot and it was really humid. Even with my hair tied back (first thing I do before I ever start cooking is tie my hair back, wipe down the counters, and then wash my hands), the kitchen was terribly warm. I did all the baking first, then started in on the canning. I quit for a while after I did all the peach halves and clean everything up. Then I started back in, canning the peach quarters. It was long and I was pooped til I got done.

It's hard to decently flute a pie crust with long fingernails, but here they are....

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

those look wonderful!!!

 

[Mother Dragon]

We ended up with 15 quarts of peach halves and ten quarts of peach quarters, one peaches and cream pie (which Dear Richard is devouring), one two-crust peach pie (in the freezer), and 8 peach dumplings (my sister and BIL came over last night to help us eat the dumplings). The dumplings were, but nothing to write home about. Overall, I wasn't impressed and will probably stick to apple dumplings from here on in.

I still have a good peck or so of peaches left, so I may make a couple more two-crust pies for the freezer. Peaches are such a soft fruit and they don't keep well at all; I need to find stuff to do with them. Rick mentioned shortcake, too, which would work because I have some whipping cream leftover from the peaches and cream pie that I could whip to have with the shortcake.

I do love to sit down and eat a fresh peach, skin and all. But I think I like nectarines more, simply because they don't have all the fuzz; even washing and drying the peach doesn't get rid of all the fuzz.

They say that a good way to slip skins off peaches easily is to put them in boiling water for a minute, then put them in cold water; the skins should slip off. Yeah, that works....to a certain extent.

It was a very busy day, it got hot and it was really humid. Even with my hair tied back (first thing I do before I ever start cooking is tie my hair back, wipe down the counters, and then wash my hands), the kitchen was terribly warm. I did all the baking first, then started in on the canning. I quit for a while after I did all the peach halves and clean everything up. Then I started back in, canning the peach quarters. It was long and I was pooped til I got done.

It's hard to decently flute a pie crust with long fingernails, but here they are....

You have no shame! Just look at all those peach goodies. And here I sit, without even canned peaches.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

You have no shame! Just look at all those peach goodies. And here I sit, without even canned peaches.

Mother Dragon - You're a real peach!



Feel better now?
.

 

[Norachan]

OMG!

I'm on my way over.....just got to find my passport.......don't start eating until I get there, ya hear!?

 

[Winchester]

You're all welcome! C'mon in and we'll all sit down with peach pie and cobbler!

 

[maggiedemi]

I've never even heard of peaches & cream pie. I need to get me some of that.

 

[aliceneko]

I love peaches! Peach juice is my absolute favourite and I often have it when I travel to the Mediterranean and always end up bringing large bottles of it home because it's not so common in England, where we only seem to have peach iced tea (which is another favourite of mine).
I've just started to make pancakes with cooked peaches on the top, which is also a delicious summer dessert. I like peaches just on their own in a bowl or tinned peaches, too, though. And peach yogurt.

 

[Furballsmom]

Even with my hair tied back (first thing I do before I ever start cooking is tie my hair back, wipe down the counters, and then wash my hands), the kitchen was terribly warm.

I've started to bring in a small tabletop fan when the kitchen gets too hot - it's west facing and even without an oven going it turns into an oven .

I just have to be aware of where the air is blowing - I actually held up a meal one time because the fan was cooling the stove burner LOL

I've been asked several time to can foods. After watching my mother time and time again in her sweatshop of a kitchen (she did the works--fruit, veggies, of whatever type she could grow and/or get her hands on otherwise) I said nope. Not happening.

"Oh but it's easier with some of the new techniques/methods/recipes..." - nope. The old, hard and very hot way of sterilizing those jars, lids and rings is the only safe way to do it.

My hat's off to you Winchester, you too, are a peach of a person

 

[denice]

My Dad always planted a huge garden and we went to u-pick places for peaches, pears and apples. Lots of canning took place in the heat with no air conditioning. A bit before my time it was common for people to have a separate small building with a stove used for canning so the house didn't get heated up even more from all the canning.

 

[Winchester]

@furmonster mom Aw, thank you!

I sterilize the jars and rings in the dishwasher. I sterilize the lids in boiling water. I use clean tongs to pick lids out of the water. I use clean dish cloths and towels constantly and, til I'm done, I'll need to do a load of laundry. Clean chopsticks and plastic knives to remove air bubbles. It is a lot of work. I know women who will can using the lids and jars from foods they bought at the grocery store: spaghetti sauce jars and lids, for example. But I don't know if that's safe and I'm not taking any chances.

For years I refused to can anything. Rick's mom wanted to give me her canning supplies years ago, but I wouldn't take them because....not canning anything. Well, then I got interested in doing pickles. Called Evelyn and asked her if she still had her canner. She started laughing and said it was in the basement; she kept it because she knew it was only a matter of time before I'd ask for it. She was right.

I do pickles and chutneys from time to time; Old Farmhouse Chutney is simply delicious. Peaches. My zucchini relish. Mom asked me to make her chow-chow a couple times and I really do like chow-chow. Oh, and my honey-glazed red onions; they require a pressure canner and I can only use that on the gas grill; it doesn't work on the kitchen stove. I draw the line at tomatoes and tomato products, though. Nope, not going there. Nope, nope, nope.

I freeze a lot. I can a little. I dehydrate some foods, too.

 

[Norachan]

You put me to shame Winchester