Freezing Fresh Peaches

We have a small peach tree that has a lot of peaches this year.  Can you freeze fresh peaches to preserve them for eating or putting on ice cream, rather than having them go bad?  Any suggestions?  

We cut ours into slices and toss them in lemon juice, then spread them out on cookie sheets so they aren't touching and freeze them, then transfer the frozen slices into freezer bags.  It's so nice having them in the middle of winter cooked into our oatmeal.

Welcome to the forums.

This year is my first go around trying to save peaches and I have gone the route of peeling, slicing,  and freezing. It takes up less space and I feel like I will be more inclined to use it.

I also wanted the pits to try and grow a smattering of peach trees.

Last year when I had a bumper crop and zero time, I just froze them whole on a cookie sheet and tossed them in freezer bag after they were frozen, the same way many people do with tomatoes.

When it came time to use them, I ran them under hot water and the skins fell off same as frozen tomato skins do. I then let them thaw a bit more in a colander over a pot so the juice ran out and was collected. I then chopped up the fruit, added some tapioca starch to the juice and poured it over the fruit, added crumble topping and cooked it. So it was a peach crisp, rather than an apple crisp and everyone was happy to eat it.

Absolutely, yes.  You will lose the fresh texture, of course, but not the flavor. Done this way, when thawed, the peels essentially fall off, and the fruit comes off the pit very easily, making for faster, easier baking, ice cream making, and jam making.

I go ahead and do the quick blanch to skin them. Then slice and toss with some sugar and lemon juice or a bit of citric acid then freeze them flat (for space) in cobbler sized portions.

Whether or not to blanch and peel depends on how much time you have at harvest time, and how many peaches you have.  It is a situation where you do what’s right for you.

I knew a woman who used to prepare a pie filling from her fresh fruit, put it in a plastic bag (only ick part, but I have no alternative suggestions).  She would put all the ingredients for the filling into a plastic bag, then put the bag into her pie plate and freeze it in that shape.  When ready for a pie, she makes the crust in her pie plate, gets the frozen filling and puts it in the crust.  The filling thaws while she makes the top crust and preheats the oven.  I have seen her do it with cherries, apples, peaches nectarines, berries.  I always thought it was very clever.