How to store peaches at home for the winter: in the refrigerator, freezer and cellar

Storage of ripe peaches is characterized by a number of features, but there is nothing complicated about them. There are many ways, but in most cases fruit is best stored at a cooler temperature, such as in the refrigerator.

Rules and timing of harvesting

Peach trees start producing in the second half of summer. The first ripe fruits on the tree can be seen already at the end of June. But the peak ripening of the crop falls on July and August. To understand when to pick peaches from a tree, you need to lightly press on any fruit. If it feels soft and slightly springy when pressed, it's harvest time.In this way, it is advisable to check all the fruits so as not to pluck unripe ones.

Harvest in several stages. Only those fruits that have reached technical maturity should be removed. Unripe peaches are tough and tasteless. The fruits are picked immediately from the tree as soon as they ripen. If some of the peaches have fallen off, they should not be collected from the ground. Such fruits are overripe and not suitable for food.

Quality and tasty peach selection

Peach season is in the middle of summer. In stores on the shelves you can see fruit at any time of the year, but it is impossible to find truly tasty and he althy fruits in the cold season. But even in peach season, it is important to be able to choose the right quality fruits. Ripe peaches are fragrant and slightly springy when pressed. If you look for fruits in the market, then you need to pay attention to bees and wasps. Insects feel good fruits and flock to them.

Peaches should be bought without skin damage. The skin should be smooth and velvety, and its shade should be natural. Too bright color indicates that the fruits were treated with chemicals. If, after the purchase, it was found that the bone inside the fruit was wrinkled and cracked, this indicates the processing of fruits with chemicals that allow them to maintain a beautiful appearance during transportation.

General storage conditions for ripe peaches

It is not enough just to pick peaches, it is important to store them properly so that they stay fresh for a long time. The easiest way to preserve fruit at home is in the refrigerator, but there are several other options for storing freshly harvested fruit from a tree.

At what temperature

When choosing to store any fruit warm or cold, preference should be given to the second. If you leave the crop warm, very soon the peaches will begin to rot and ferment.In such conditions, the crop is stored for about 2-3 days. The most optimal content temperature is 0 degrees.

At this temperature, it is possible to keep the crop fresh for up to 7-10 days, depending on the stage of ripeness of the peaches at which they were removed from the tree.

Optimal humidity for fruit

Peaches can be kept fresh for a long time at very high humidity, about 90%. To increase the humidity in the refrigerator, you can place a container of water next to the peaches. Low humidity levels cause the fruit to dry out. If the fruits are provided with all the necessary conditions, they can be stored for up to 2-4 weeks, depending on the ripening period. Late varieties last longer than early varieties.

Storage duration

Peaches are among those fruits that are not stored for a long time after picking, so you should decide in advance how quickly you plan to eat them.Late-ripening varieties are stored for up to 4 weeks (if they were picked a little underripe). At the stage of technical maturity, the shelf life is about 2 weeks. In the refrigerator, the shelf life is about 10 days for early varieties, if the fruit is ripe.

Outside the refrigerator, the fruits remain intact for about 3 days. The main thing is to find out where it is better to keep the harvest.

How to process for long-term preservation

It's no secret that store-bought fruits are treated with chemicals to increase their shelf life. But is it possible to carry out such procedures at home and at the same time not worsen the quality.

In industrial production, fruits are processed:

• methyl bromide;
• ethylene;
• diphenyl;
• sulfur oxide;
• sorbic acid;
• wax.

At home, treating fruits with chemicals is problematic and undesirable. Better find safe ways to store it.

How to store unripe fruits

Unripe peaches have a much longer shelf life than ripe peaches, but will not taste as good even after they are fully ripe. Unripe fruits have lower sugar levels. If ripe peaches are stored in a refrigerator or cellar, where the temperature is cool and high humidity, then unripe ones are the opposite.

Peaches are recommended to be placed somewhere in the kitchen so that they gradually reach technical maturity. If you leave them in the refrigerator, the fruits will either disappear or remain as tough as they were. Unripe fruits can be stored on the balcony and in the basement. If there are a lot of them, ordinary wooden boxes are suitable for this. Peaches in them are laid in one layer.

How to make peaches ripen

After harvesting, it becomes necessary to accelerate the ripening of fruits at home. There are several ways to do this without spoiling the taste of the fruit. In order for the fruits to begin to ripen faster, they are not put in the refrigerator, but left at home at room temperature. Another effective way to speed up the ripening of the harvested crop is to place fruits in the same bag with bananas. Bananas secrete special enzymes that accelerate the ripening of not only peaches, but also many other fruits.

Also, the crop, if it has not yet had time to ripen, is left for several days in the sun, for example, on the window. Three days is enough for the peaches to reach technical maturity.

Using a paper bag

Another method to speed up the ripening of unripe peaches is to place them in a paper bag.Unlike plastic bags, paper fruits do not dry out or rot. And if you put a bunch of bananas in the bag, the ripening process will go even faster. The container with fruit is stored at room temperature in the shade. It is undesirable to put in the sun so that the fruits do not begin to rot.

It is also worth checking the package regularly, and if the fruits begin to show signs of rotting, such fruits are immediately thrown away before the rot has spread to all contents.

With linen fabric

To accelerate the ripening of green fruits, a bag made of natural linen fabric is used. 4-7 fruits are placed in one bag so that they do not lie on top of each other, and put in a cool room.

How to prepare for the winter

There are two ways to preserve the harvest for the winter - freeze peaches in the freezer or dry them in the sun or in the oven.An electric dryer is also used for drying. But at the same time, frozen fruits are stored longer than dried ones. Also for the winter, you can grind peaches with sugar. To do this, the pulp is crushed in a blender, mixed with sugar and spread in jars. Then put into the freezer. This jam is suitable for making teas, for decorating ice cream and as a filling for pies.

Store in the refrigerator

Only ripe fruits should be stored in the refrigerator. The main thing is to provide a favorable temperature and humidity. Thus, the shelf life of fruits can be significantly increased. Peaches are kept separate from all fruits, especially bananas. Neighborhood with bananas speeds up the ripening process. And if this is not included in the plans, it is better to put bananas away. To increase humidity, place a bowl of water next to the fruit and change it daily.

Storing nectarines in the freezer

Many mistakenly believe that nectarines are a hybrid of peach and plum. But in fact, these are the same peaches, only with a smooth skin. In addition, nectarines and peaches can grow on the same tree. The difference is that nectarines are juicier and contain less sugar. Therefore, they are stored in exactly the same way.

You can increase the shelf life of fruits by storing them in the freezer. To do this, it is enough to wash the nectarines and dry them. Place in a plastic bag and put in the freezer.

Whole peaches with pits

Before placing fruits in the freezer, they should be thoroughly washed and dried so that there is no water on the skin. Put the fruits in a bag or plastic container and put in the freezer. The disadvantage of this method of storage is the limited use. Frozen fruits are only suitable for heat treatment. They are not very tasty when fresh.

Skinless slices

To simplify the work before using fruits for cooking, you can peel them in advance and cut into slices. In order to make the skin easier to remove, the fruit is dipped in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Then the top is cut crosswise and the skin is removed. After that, fold, and put the plastic bag in the freezer.

With parchment

You can prepare peaches for the winter by drying them in the sun on parchment paper. To do this, the fruits are cut into slices and laid out on parchment paper in one layer. It is better to lay out so that the slices do not touch each other. Spread the parchment in the sun and leave for a few days. As soon as the slices begin to dry out, they are turned over. This continues until the peaches are completely dry.

Drying

Harvested fruits can be dried for the winter. To do this, the fruits are washed and cut into 4 parts.Preheat the oven to 40 degrees. Spread the slices on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 2 hours. Regularly slices need to be checked and turned over. Dried blanks decrease in size and become rigid. Dried peaches are stored in a glass jar.

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