10 Awesome Ways You Can Truly Preserve The Whole Peach

A while back I talked about the “whole Buffalo” theory again. It’s basically a Native American saying in origin, that helps to remind you about not being wasteful.

I want to tell you now about 10 ways you can use the whole peach. I’m saying peaches because that’s what I used but could be any type of fruit.

I have also mentioned this peach thing in a previous post as well. Basically, I got my hands on a large number of peaches from a local orchard. They gave me 100 lbs. free, and I can get unlimited “seconds” for a very low price. Now there’s only so much peach someone can make, I’m also selling the byproducts I’m making locally, so I’m making a profit now.

So I’m going to talk you through the sweet-smelling, luscious peach heaven my family is in right now, and how we’ve made a years’ worth of food for less than $10. You can then adapt what I’m telling you here to any sort of fruit.

Let’s Talk About That “The Whole Buffalo” Theory Again

My daughter was actually the one who alerted me to “the whole Buffalo” theory. She mentioned she had heard it at school, the Native Americans used to describe it as “using the whole buffalo”.

In modern terms, it’s a quick way of reminding you that you need to use everything you can, and not waste much. If there are bits of something you can’t use, research for ways you can use them.

So when I got my huge batch of free peaches from the local orchard, I wanted to use the whole buffalo, or preserve the whole peach to state a more accurate representation.

Here Are The 10 Ways You Can Use The Whole Peach

So when I knew I was getting these peaches I researched 10 ways that I could use everything. I just want to briefly talk about cyanide though. I know, not what you were expecting. But peach stones, and other fruits with stones and, have been linked to cyanide poisoning for a long time.

Research into the toxicity levels of peaches and apricots has shown up to 15 raw peach pit kernels could get you into the lethal range for toxicity.

However, to counter that, there is a wide range of evidence that that’s not the truth. There’s even a cookbook out there called the “little cyanide cookbook”, which is dedicated to using the kernels of stone fruit. It’s actually written by a former toxicologist who used to work for the Food and Drug Administration.

If you’re still uncomfortable with that, then roasting the kernels at 325°F for 15 minutes is known to destroy most of the potential for toxicity. So if you’re really nervous, do that first.

But remember that lots of things are called toxins, but the truth is often very different. I used a bodybuilding supplement that contained D-aspartic acid in it. It’s claimed that too much of that can be carcinogenic, but my own extensive research found that that was very small studies on animals that had huge doses for long periods of time. So always research what you are told is the truth.

  1. Sweet lemon peaches are a great starter here. Make a light syrup using 2 cups of sugar, and 6 cups of water. Bring it to the boil, and add some lemon juice. Then fill sanitized jars with peach slices. Ladle over the syrup, then process them in a water bath canner for around 35 minutes (you’ll have to research how to use a pressure canner or water bath canning).
  2. Vanilla spice peaches a second on my list of top 10. Again make a syrup, but this time with brown sugar. Add various spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, along with 6 cups of water. Boil it, and add vanilla. Fill sanitized jars with peach slices. Then do the same process for canning them under pressure.
  3. Third on the list are brown sugar peach preserves. Peel the peaches, mash up the fruit, blend it, create a purée, layer it, and then put it into jars.
  4. Ginger peach jam is fourth on the list. It’s very nice with a peppery bite to it. Skin them, remove the pits, and turn them into a purée. Mix in ginger and lemon juice, for cups of sugar, and make the jam in a large pot. Once it’s as thick as you want, ladle the jam into sanitized jars.
  5. Peach delight syrup. When you make jam using peach, you’ll get a sweetened syrup as a byproduct. You can turn this juice into syrup that beautiful edible really easily. Add 2 cups of sugar, several tablespoons of honey to taste, cinnamon and ginger, and vanilla extract. Put in a large pot and bring to the boil, then simmer it down until it doubles in thickness.
  6. Spicy peach jam is exactly the same as I’ve outlined above for ginger peach jam. It’s another twist that users muscovado sugar, and a very small amount of jalapeno peppers.
  7. Peach fruit leather is an unusual twist here. If you have mushy peaches that are not rotten, then you can wash them, peel them, and remove the pit. Purée them, and add a splash of lemon juice. Then add sugar to taste. Pour the purée onto trays covered in baking paper. Smooth it with a spatula until it’s thin. Use a dehydrator at 135 overnight.
  8. Peach pit iced tea is a fantastic refreshing drink. Keep the peach pits, and dry them in the oven at 200° for an hour. Then store them in an airtight jar. Whenever you want peach tea, put a handful of pits in boiling water. Steep them overnight for the most flavor. Next day, get rid of the pits, and use the peach flavored water to make iced tea.
  9. Peach infused liqueur is a welcome treat. Fill the bottom of the 2-gallon mason jar with peach pits. About three layers deep is fine. Fill the jar with alcohol, leaving about an inch at the top. But in a cool dark place and give it a shake once per week. Then strain the liquid into a colander after several months.
  10. Fuzzy Peach peel candy is a great treat for the kids. Save the peels when you peel peaches for other purposes. Add lemon juice, turbinado sugar, with the peaches in a large bowl. Mix together well leave to soak for a couple of hours, then layer them on a tray of a dehydrator. Six hours later, you’ll have fantastic sweet treats that are really healthy.
10 Awesome Ways You Can Truly Preserve The Whole Peach
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