The Best Way To Store Peaches

From late May to September, it's peach season up and down the east coast of the United States. Farmers markets and orchards are suddenly flush with the fuzzy, delicious, juicy fruit piled high in baskets, perfect for eating fresh, baking into peach pies, or canning for cold winter nights when we're reminiscing about the warmer weather. If you trek out to the orchard and fill up a few baskets of peaches, you'll need to store these stone fruits appropriately, even in the short term. 

Peaches that are ripe — soft but not too soft to the touch, and feel as though they could bruise if you press hard — do well on a kitchen counter if they're going to be eaten within 24 hours. Leave them out in the air, as putting them in a bag (paper or plastic) could speed up the ripening process too much. Keep them out of direct sunlight, stem-side down to avoid bruising, on a non-porous surface such as glass, stainless steel, or porcelain. Doing so will allow your peaches to remain the sweetest, juiciest, best version of themselves for a day or two. 

On the other hand, what do you do when your fuzzy fruits are a little under- or overripe, or when you want to keep them for months instead of days? Never fear; we have yet more tips on storing peaches any which way. 

If your peaches aren't quite ready to eat yet and you're looking to get them ripe a bit faster, you can store them in a paper bag on the countertop, which does speed up the process a bit. Meanwhile, if your fruits are a little too ripe and demand being eaten — like, now — you can keep them in the refrigerator, stem-side down, for two or three days. Keep them unwashed, whole, and outside of any container or bag. 

The cool environment will help stretch out the peaches' lifespan, whereas on the counter, overripe ones may only last half a day. Just don't forget about them in any case, or the flesh could become less luscious and more mealy due to the dry air in the fridge.

If you've picked more peaches than you could possibly eat in a day or two and need to store them for the longer term, you have a few options. You can refrigerate, freeze, or can them to be enjoyed later. You'll need to take a few essential prep steps, though, to ensure your preserved peaches are just as tasty as fresh ones. 

For storage in the freezer, you'll need to break down your peaches for ease of use and the best quality retention. The best way is to peel your peaches, then slice them into wedges. Freeze in a single layer on a plate or baking sheet first, then transfer into a large resealable freezer bag. This way, your frozen peaches should last for a few months.

Canning peaches is another option to preserve your fruit. Basically, you prep your peaches, peeling off the skins and cutting the flesh into wedges, then boil the fruit in juice or water. Jar or can the entire concoction, following sanitation guidelines strictly to ensure they stay safe to eat long-term. 

For all long-term storage, make sure that your peaches have reached peak ripeness first. Peaches can (slowly) continue to ripen in the fridge, but won't ripen once frozen or canned. Frozen peaches lend themselves well to smoothies, pies, and cobblers, so you can enjoy the sweetness for months after the growing season has passed. On a related note, canned peaches are sometimes even better than fresh for desserts.