Summer means peaches to me. And fortunately, we have two wonderful peach farms not too terribly far away, making for delicious road trips. You don’t drive all that way to not buy a lot of peaches, which means:
- freezing for future use, and
- lots and lots of peach pie, peach jam and peach cobbler.
Freezing takes a bit of prep time, but is worth it to keep peaches on hand for any baking occasion. I found an easy method here and have followed it ever since. Simply slice and pit peaches, soak for 5 minutes in a mixture of 1 c. water and 4 T. lemon juice, drain thoroughly, then freeze slices on a cookie sheet. I freeze them overnight, then put them in freezer bags for long-term storage.
But how do you use the peaches in a peach pie? Simple! You make your own filling. Here’s how (thanks to this method, which I adapted somewhat):
- 4 c sliced peaches (fresh or frozen – about 5 peaches)
- 1/2 t vanilla bean paste
- 1.5 T lemon juice
- 3 T cornstarch
- 1/2 c white sugar
- 1/2 c brown sugar, not packed
- 1/2 t cinnamon
- 1 c water
Whisk all ingredients, except peaches, in a large saucepan until thoroughly combined. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Let boil for 2-3 minutes so the sauce can thicken. Add peaches. Reduce heat slightly and simmer for 5-7 minutes, until peaches are tender but not mushy. Remove from heat and allow mixture to come to room temperature.
At this point, you can use the mixture immediately or put in glass jars – these will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks or the freezer for three months.