Peaches

Preparation

1. Darkening

   Step 1

   Sprinkle them with lemon juice after peeling to retard the approaching darkness.

2. Difficult to peel

   Step 2

   Firm peaches can be peeled just like potatoes using a potato peeler, which may then be called a peach peeler. Soft peaches can be peeled like tomatoes by dunking them for about 3 minutes in water that you’ve brought to a boil and then removed from the stove. The peel should then come off quite easily.

   Step 3

   Or you can microwave a peach on the high setting for 10 seconds and let it stand for 5 minutes before peeling.

3. Fuzzy

   Step 4

   Say, do you remember those television commercials where they used to shave a peach? (They were selling electric razors, not bald peaches.) If your peach is very ripe and very fuzzy, that may be your only solution. (Does anyone know how to get peach fuzz out of an electric razor?) For less ripe peaches, scrub them with a vegetable brush and they will ripen into clean-shaven peaches

4. Need peaches, have nectarines

   Step 5

   In a recipe, you can substitute nectarines for peaches, but add a bit of juice (whatever you have handy—orange, apple, or pineapple), as nectarines tend to be less juicy than peaches.

5. Unripe

   Step 6

   Store them in a closed paper bag for 1 or 2 days.