We got absolutely NO peaches from our little tree last year thanks to the birds and that was in spite of having bird netting over the whole tree. But, the good news is...I still have peaches in the freezer from 2010's bumper crop! I know, I know, you are only supposed to keep fruit in the freezer for 12 months but, hey, I'm only five months past that and I sure wouldn't want to waste any of our yummy homegrown peaches!
I packed these in a medium syrup in pint canning jars and they have not gotten any freezer burn. It seems to me that the glass protects the fruit better than plastic. I decided I needed to use them up so I made a Peach Cobbler for tonight's desert. You can find the recipe for the cobbler topping using my Baking Mix here.
I have seen several posts recently about making sure that you actually eat the food that you grow and it kind of "guilted" me into trying to use up what I have. Besides, the silly fruit trees are BUDDING OUT already and I'm hoping I will actually get some fruit this year!!
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| Kieffer Pear |
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| Santa Rosa Plum |
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| Peach |
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| Ornamental Plum |
I'm linking up with Heidi for The Country Garden Showcase at My Simple Country Living.
21 comments:
Happy Monday Candy! Your peach cobbler looks delicious and happens to be one of my hubby's favorite desserts. I don't have any freezer peaches, but I do have a jar of canned peaches and a little bit of your baking mix. It looks like this will be my sweetheart's morning valentine tomorrow. Thank you, Thanks for sharing on the Country Garden showcase. Your fruit blossoms are beauties. I hope you get a bumper crop. It was HOT here a few days ago, today it's been spitting ice, snow, and rain... My fruit tree buds have swelled, but none are open yet. I am crossing my fingers...
(I'd have used them too) I can't believe your trees are budding!!
There seems to be a lot starting to bloom!
http://theredeemedgardener.blogspot.com/2012/02/veggie-seed-give-away.html
Heidi,
I know what you mean, I have my fingers crossed too!
dr momi,
I just hope we don't get a hard freeze anytime soon!
Clint,
The weather has been crazy this year!
I could scare you if I told you how old some of our canned goods are. So I won't! :)
That cobbler looks yummy, Candy. I bet it tasted wonderful. :)
Nancy,
LOL!! I still have pickles from 2009 but I threw away everything older than that!
First, I'm sorry the netting didn't work; but glad to know so I don't waste money buying my own.
Second, I didn't know there was a freezer life. My guess is, it only loses a little by keeping it longer and I think the fact you grew it yourself definitely outweighs any minor loss of vitality.
Your jar looks fantastic to me. :)
Since you have Kieffer Pears, I have to ask. Do they produce round fruit? And is the fruit sort of gritty in the middle?
I'm curious because hubby has been trying to locate the type of pear that grew in the back yard of his farm when he was growing up, and the closest we've come so far is Kieffer pears, but we've never seen or tasted one.
Thank you for sharing all your pictures with us. :)
LindaG,
The silly birds went underneath the netting, which was down to the ground, to get up into the tree!
My Kieffer pears aren't really round, more regular pear shaped. They are very crisp in texture. They are considered a baking or canning pear. I did have older folks at the Farmer's Market tell me that they were the kind of pears they used to get off the trees when they were kids. Hope that helps some! :)
That helps a lot, Candy. Thank you!
I've been using frozen peaches from 2010 too!
It certainly looks good! I confess that I've kept fruit for that long easily. I tend to produce so much more than I can ever eat.
Lisa Lynn,
Whew! I don't feel so bad now! :)
Teresa,
I feel lucky that I have the Farmer's Market to sell some of my excess produce but it still adds up!
I hate to say it,but I have a lot of canned food still in my garage. I need to start using it up. Candy I am now following on Linky.Thanks for following me on Linky.
That looks very good.
Looks yummy... hope ya get lots of peaches this year.
Michelle,
You are welcome!
Kristina,
Thanks!
Jennifer,
I hope so too! :)
Looks great! Don't worry about the expiration dates, they are really suggested best by dates anyway, as long as it's canned, shows no damage and looks good when you open it. Cans will last years. I work with expiration dates and attended an unsaleables conference last year, discussing expiration dates with the big guys you've probably heard of. They confirmed cans have a much longer life than the expiration date shows. Again, will it taste as good in year 5? Probably not and again, watch what it looks and smells like, no rust on the can, no obvious distress. We've used canned items way past date, unless questionable. We also have used frozen foods way past prime but with a pressure cooker, it's all fine and tender in the end.
I love peaches! Have you ever tried a blueberry peach pie? those are really good too. Love all the pictures. nothing blooming here, yet!
Kathy,
Thanks for the info!
SweetLand Farm,
Hmmm...I actually have more peaches in the freezer AND some blueberries, gonna do that next time! :)
That is good information to have about freezing in jar--i have never though to do that. And yes, I've been guilty of letting veggies I froze go to waste in the past. I'm making a very concerted effort to eat from our frozen garden harvest every day.
Love your fruit bud photos!
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