Oh, Ann, maybe other people can detect the peel, too. That must be why the recipes always call for peeling. I honestly couldn't tell. There didn't seem to be any texture to the peel after baking.

At any rate, I promise to peel the peaches if you're coming for dessert!

I don't peel the skin for myself. I don't peel apples for apple pie for myself.

I peel the skin off if I serve other people.

I know of at least one friend who is alergic to peach skin.

dcarch

I also don't like getting any peach skin in my mouth....
AND peaches and apples and imported nectarines are part of the dirty dozen...the foods that retain the most pesticides.
I think it's wise to peel them.
Linda C

Here is a link that might be useful: dirty dozen

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I'll continue to peel the peaches. I really love that I can come to these forums to quickly learn things I didn't know.

I also do not like peach skin, and I'm not terribly fond of peaches anyway, except for peach ice cream, and I definitely peel the peaches when I make that. My father had peach trees, and he did not peel the peaches, but he knew that no chemicals had been used on the trees. I have an Fuji apple tree now (it came with the house), and I will eat the apple peels occasionally, but more often I will make a pie and peel the apples. I had to buy a machine to peel, core, and slice the apples in one fell swoop last year, and soon I will have to get that machine out again. We still have a gallon of frozen apple juice from last year's crop. The juice was very good, but it was almost too sweet for me.

I'm making chocolate ice cream today, but I'll start looking for peaches in the farmers' markets. I don't really have a recipe for peach ice cream - I just make vanilla ice cream and add peaches at the end.

Lars

Early peaches are just starting here and I love them, but I also don't care for peach peel, so I always peel them.

Annie

I peel peaches because of how heavily sprayed they are with pesticides. I almost always peel apples too, for the same reason. Peaches are my favorite fruit! Of course if you don't like peach peel, there are always nectarines!!

If you hate peeling peaches, consider one of these. They really work on peaches, tomatoes, and kiwis, which are all notoriously hard to peel.

Here is a link that might be useful: Serrated peeler

Hi, So would someone post their t&t for peach cobbler? thanks.

Here's mine, it's the old fashioned type with the "biscuit" kind of topping, not the cake batter stuff or pie crust topping. It's from my 1969 Betty Crocker cookbook:

Fresh Peach Cobbler
show image

1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups sliced fresh peaches (6 medium)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons shortening
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
Cream, if desired
hide

Heat oven to 400�.

Mix 1/2 cup sugar, the cornstarch and cinnamon in 2-quart saucepan. Stir in peaches and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole; keep peach mixture hot in oven.

Cut shortening into flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, the baking powder and salt in medium bowl, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture look like fine crumbs. Stir in milk. Drop dough by 6 spoonfuls onto hot peach mixture.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm with cream if desired.

Makes 6 servings

Annie

I never got peaches growing up because my mother says peach fuzz gives her the heebie-jeebies. I never knew what I was missing!

Annie, do you think I could make just the filling portion of this recipe and freeze it for cobblers in the winter??

Mel

I have a peach tree and this year I got about 400 pounds of peaches. Still ripening.. I do not know what to do with it.

I wanted to make some peach jam, and tried all tricks to peel off skin in the google search, and the skin does not want to come off. so I made the jam without peeling skin, and the jam looks pink, instead of PEACH color. Other than that, it is okay.

Nowadays, people are very much of health cautious, and eats little or no sugar. Then why should you make peach jam? The recipe calls for one cup of sugar for every pound of peach, and I think that is not healthy at all. So we should find a way to preserve peaches without adding sugar. Dehydrate ? Dry? Extract the juice?

If you have 400 pounds of peaches, you should probably be selling them at a farmers' market. If you want to save them without sugar, I would recommend freezing them, but you would need a huge freezer for that many. 400 pounds would be the equivalent of about three people.

If you freeze the peaches, I think you can peel them afterwards. I would freeze them whole, the way I do limes and lemons, and vacuum seal them. Alternatively, you can dehydrate them, and they will take up a lot less space, but they will not taste the same.

This is my second year of harvest, and I did not expect so much.

If anybody can think of alternative methods you can think of to preserve them, please post.

You can see my tree on you tube, :Organic peach tree at Rosenberg, Greater Houston, Texas, USA.

Organic peach tree at Rosenberg, Greater Houston, Texas, USA.

I'm not sure how many lbs of asian pears i ended up with summer before last but i had at least 200lbs. I did dehydrate. Not my favorite method but was super in my granola. I prefer to freeze just the cut/sliced fruit. No stone fruit last year but lots of blueberries and raspberries.

I dislike peeling much more that the peach skin, well, a toss-up. I don't make jams but do like it sometimes. I prefer the natural sweet from the fruit. So freezing is first. Dehydrating second. Apples and pears i cook down a bit with rhubarb, a bit of lemon, no added sugar....rhubarb softens quickly and coats them. Peaches are easier and freeze great layed out on a sheet pan, then in zip-locks. Can grab just what you need for breakfast or a smoothie.

I've not made fruit powders but that's another good option after dehydrating.

I did make scrap vinegar...i remember about 3 gallons. Very good. But that adds yet another 'event' to a busy harvest. It uses the peelings and takes a bit of fermentation understanding. (lots of tutorials if you do a google search)

I grow organically so the crates i gave away at work, to friends, and the senior center, were well received and appreciated.

I'm not sure what other delicious things grow in your area, but I'd sure look for someone who might want to trade you something for some of those peaches. Maybe someone who grows beef, or eggs, or other fruit but doesn't grow their own peaches would be interested. Try craigslist to see what you can find that you might like to have and try to strike up a trade.

Beautiful tree and fruit! ! !

What variety is it?

I'm wondering if it would grow farther south in Texas.

Are you having any flooding In your area?

Rusty

Make fruit compote. Less sugar!