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Mom's Nectarines Recipe

Filed under Dessert, Seasonal Favorites: Summer, Wheat-free

Mom's Nectarines

Every year in mid July the nectarines on our white nectarine tree become ripe, all at once, and we harvest them all within the space of a week. White nectarines and white peaches grown at home are so delicate that they must be eaten within a day of picking, preferably within hours of picking, or they will bruise and spoil. They also don't cook up well, because their flavor is so delicate and sweet; you need some tartness for a good cooking fruit. So instead, we make up a simple sauce comprised of slices of the fresh fruit, some ascorbic acid to keep the fruit from turning brown, and a little sugar to help the fruit macerate and release some of its juices. For ascorbic acid (also known as Vitamin C) we usually use a handy product called Fruit-Fresh, but you can use lemon juice or ground up Vitamin C. We use canning jars for convenience, but note that there isn't a vacuum seal as the fruit has not been heated. Instead it is stored in the freezer.

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Mom's Nectarines Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 quart of freshly sliced nectarines or peaches
  • 1/2 cup to 1 cup of sugar, depending on how sweet the fruit is
  • 1 Tablespoon of Fruit-Fresh Produce Protector or a tablespoon of ground up vitamin C (ascorbic acid), or 1 or 2 Tbsp of fresh squeezed lemon juice

Method

Toss sugar and Fruit-Fresh (or Vit C or lemon juice) together in with the fruit. Let sit for 15 minutes to allow juice to form. Pack into containers. Refrigerate for immediate use, or freeze.

Delicious served over vanilla ice-cream or alone. Lasts up to a year in a cold freezer.

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Posted by Elise on Jul 27, 2005 and indexed Nectarines, Peach

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Comments

Hi Elise,

I love nectarines. You are so lucky to be able to grow them where you are. I can just imagine how tasty these would be spooned over some ice cream or as a topping for pound cake. YUMMY!

Posted by: Reid on July 28, 2005 2:49 AM

Hi Reid, it would be excellent over pound cake. Great idea. I'll have to look up a good pound cake recipe.

Posted by: elise [TypeKey Profile Page] on July 28, 2005 11:17 AM

Wow! I didn't know it was that easy to make a batch and put it in the freezer! Now I'm on a peach and nectarine hunt! Thanks

Posted by: Ann on July 28, 2005 11:30 AM

Sorry to ask such a basic question, but about how many (or pounds) of nectarines are in a quart? Also, what is the approximate yield? This sounds delicious!

Posted by: Dee on July 28, 2005 7:33 PM

Hi Dee,
That's a great question. I'll have to weigh out the nectarines the next time I make them. In the meantime I would suggest eyeballing it. Account for pits, stems and bruises which you will cut out. Since you don't cook these, the yield is about what you put in. If you start with a quart of sliced nectarines, you'll end up with a quart. Maybe a little less to account for the air in between the slices when you start?

Posted by: elise [TypeKey Profile Page] on July 29, 2005 11:27 AM

Hi Dee,
We just measured our latest batch and found that it takes a little bit more than a lb of nectarines to make 1 pint of sliced nectarines. So if I were buying nectarines, I would buy 2 1/2 lbs for a yield of a quart.

Posted by: elise [TypeKey Profile Page] on August 1, 2005 9:34 AM

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