Peaches, as you may know them or prunus persica, as they are scientifically referred to can be described as small with this sort of fuzzy peel or skin on the outside while the flesh inside may be yellow or white in colour.
It is worth noting that the origin of peach fruits can be traced to China a whole eight thousand plus years ago.
Peach fruits are also related to other fruits such as plums, apricots cherries and even almonds.
The best part about peach fruits is that they can be eaten raw or cooked or prepared as an addition to your favourite meal.
Due to the fact that they have a seed that is more or less surrounded by a fleshy shell, peach fruits are considered stone fruit or in other words drupes.
Can you eat peach skin? I think the question ought to be why not? They may be a bit fuzzy in the mouth but peach skin is perfectly safe to consume. That is provided you thoroughly clean the peach skin before you consume it. If anything, most of the vitamins, minerals and all those nice and beneficial components are contained in the skin of the peach fruit.
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How to properly clean a peach/peaches
In order to clean peach fruit skin for the purpose of safe consumption and to avoid any negative consequences, it would be ideal for you to follow these carefully laid out steps to achieving clean peaches.
- To begin with, remove all the stems and leaves that may be present on the peaches.
- For this second step, I would highly recommend that you use your hands but a vegetable brush could also work if you do not mind bruising or peeling the peach prematurely due to the impact of the brush. With your hands, proceed to brush away any dirt that you can see on the peaches.
- Once you are satisfied that you have brushed away most of the dirt to the very best of your ability, take a bowl or container and fill it with water. Into the water add a small amount of soap.
- Once the soap is added, lightly beat the water to produce foam. Go ahead to place the peaches into the foamy water and rub on the surface of each peach with your hands or brush in order to remove any dirt that might have escaped your eye during step two.
- Once all the peaches you want to use are properly washed, rinse them under running clean water.
- The final step is to dry the peaches. For this step, simply take a kitchen or paper towel and gently dry the peaches. Once you are done you can place the clean peaches onto a clean plate or tray and let them sit for a little bit as they air dry.
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How to perfectly peel a peach in order to use the skin
Peeling a peach fruit is quite an easy process. The tool to use is a matter of preference as one can use a knife, a peeler or even resort to blanching.
Since the use of a knife and peeler is relatively straightforward, we will dwell on the blanching method of peeling a peach fruit. Keep in mind that the use of a knife or peeler is better when the peach fruit is ripe and firm.
The blanching method of peeling a peach fruit is more ideal for peaches that are very ripe.
When using the blanching method to peel your peach fruit, you start off by using a knife to make an x at either end of the peach fruit. That is where the hot or boiling water will lift the skin of the peach fruit. The next thing to do is to fill a cooking pot with some water, put it on a stove and bring it to a boil.
Once the water has boiled, proceed to add the peaches into the water ensuring that they are completely submerged in the water.
The peach fruits are then left inside the water until you notice the skin around the x mark you made start to lift.
Note that this should typically not take long but be between fifteen and twenty seconds. Now that the skin is lifting, drain out the hot water and transfer the peach fruits into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.
Leave them in the ice water bath for about a minute before picking them to peel them.
Benefits of eating the skin of a peach fruit
First off, the skin of a peach fruit is rich in vitamins. Now, what these do for the body is protecting it from ageing and disease. They also help in promoting good and strong eyesight due to the presence of vitamin A just like in carrots.
Peach skin is also quite famously known to be one of those things that are rich in antioxidants. The benefit of having these antioxidants in your body is that recent scientific studies have proven that these compounds have been linked to lower chances of getting certain cancers such as lung and breast.
The fuzzy stuff on the peach skin is fibre. It is no brainer that fibre is essential to the human body in order to aid with the digestion of food.
So, in essence, eating the skin of a peach fruit can have the effect of reducing stomach ailments as well as irregular bowel movements and constipation.
Further to these already listed benefits, the fibre in the skin of a peach fruit can go a long way in facilitating or aiding in the removal of harmful substances from an individual's intestines.
They are also known to promote heart health as well as boost the immunity of the body which in turn protects the individual from falling ill fast and unnecessarily. In other words, they strengthen the body in fighting off infections and all manner of diseases.
Looking at all these benefits of consuming the skin of a peach fruit one may be tempted to say that they ought to be a necessity to consume rather than an option.
I mean, who would not want to reap the benefits we have listed above?
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How to store the skin of a peach fruit
Peach skin just like the peach fruit itself can be refrigerated or frozen. It can also be left out on the counter but only if it is meant for use that same day.
To store them in the refrigerator, begin with clean peach skins. The next thing to do is to place them in a resealable and airtight ziplock bag making sure to get rid of all the air in the bag.
You can also coat the peach skins with some lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown due to oxidation. Once they are in the zip lock bag just place them in the refrigerator.
When it comes to the freezer, again beginning with clean peach skins, spread them out onto a baking tray or even just a normal tray or plate that has been lined with baking paper. Place this tray into the freezer to allow the skins to begin to freeze.
You can then proceed to transfer them into an airtight container and return them into the freezer for long term storage.
How to use the skin of a peach fruit
Just to name but a few ways that you can utilize the skin of the peach fruit. You can choose to be adventurous and make some homemade peach syrup.
The skin of a peach fruit can also be used in the preparation of peach peel butter. They can also be used in the preparation of the peach pie filling as well as the peach jam.
Can you be allergic to the skin of a peach fruit?
Without a doubt, a person can have an allergic reaction to peach skin. This allergic reaction can present in one of two ways.
Either as a true food allergy or as a birch pollen allergy where the protein in the peach fruit skin is so similar to the birch pollen allergen.
Just in case you are not sure whether or not you are allergic to peaches and peach fruit skin, there are a couple of symptoms that you can look out for.
However, keep in mind that it is best to seek the help of a doctor in carrying out a test to ascertain the allergies that you have rather than taking unnecessary risks.
One of the most obvious symptoms is that once you consume the peach or peach skin, you will begin to experience a tingling sensation in your mouth. This is then followed by swelling of parts of the body such as the face and tongue.
In addition to this, you can also develop hives, itching and in some cases nasal congestion. Some people have also reported throwing up, being light-headed and running out of breath or having trouble breathing.
In the more severe cases, anaphylaxis is reported.
