How to Use Vitamin C Tablets for Freezing Peaches

Vitamin C tablets preserve the color, flavor and nutrient content of frozen peaches.

Freezing preserves fresh peaches for later use in pies, sauces, cobblers, smoothies and milkshakes. Enzymes in fresh peaches lead to dark fruit and a reduction in the vitamin C content if the fruit is not treated prior to freezing. Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is added to the sliced peaches to preserve the fresh color, flavor and nutrient value while frozen. Vitamin C tablets are purchased at pharmacies or canning supply stores.

Things You'll Need

• Deep saucepan
• Freezer containers (wide-mouth glass jars, rigid plastic containers or freezer storage bags)
• 1500-milligram vitamin C tablets
• Fresh peaches

Instructions

1. Pick good-quality peaches free of blemishes, bruises and insect damage. Allow ripening at room temperature, if necessary. Rinse the peaches in cool water.

2. Prepare a medium sugar syrup by mixing 1 3/4 cups sugar with 4 cups water. Add one finely crushed vitamin C tablet to each quart of medium syrup, stir and chill.

3. Fill the saucepan 1/2 full with water and bring to a boil. Dip several peaches into the boiling water for 15 to 20 seconds. Remove peaches and chill by submersing in cold or ice water. Peel off the skin, remove the pit and slice. Repeat with remaining peaches.

4. Pour approximately 1/2 cup of the sugar syrup into a pint freezer container. Add the sliced peaches until the container is nearly full. Pour in additional sugar syrup leaving 1/2- to 1 1/2-inch head space. Use the larger head space for narrow-top containers.

5. Add the lid or close the freezer bag and freeze the peaches in a 0-degree Fahrenheit freezer. The peaches have a freezer life of eight to 12 months.

6. Prepare a sugar or dry pack to freeze sliced peaches by mixing 4 cups sugar and 8 pounds of sliced peaches. Stir in one finely crushed vitamin C tablet dissolved in 2 to 3 tbsp. cold water. Pack into containers and freeze.

Tips & Warnings

• 1/2 tsp. powdered ascorbic acid is equivalent to one crushed 1500-milligram vitamin C tablet.

References

• University of Minnesota Extension: How to Prepare Fruits for Freezing
• University of Florida IFAS Extension: Preserving Food: Freezing Fruit
• Clemson Cooperative Extension: Freezing Fruits and Vegetables