10 Fun Ways with Peaches

By: Toronto4Kids

The peach (prunus persica) is native to China. The peach was once called Persian Apple as early Europeans believed the peach was native to Persia. Modern botanical consensus is that it originated in China and was brought to Persia along the Silk Road. Peaches are a member of the rose family and are related to the almond. Peaches are an excellent source of vitamin C and provide some dietary fibre, and many minerals and vitamins.

Here are 10 fun ways with peaches to get your kids to eat more!

Marshmallow Peaches
Cut peaches in half and remove the stone. Place a marshmallow in each half, sprinkle with a little brown sugar and grill until lightly browned. Serve with ice cream or yogurt.

Peach Lemonade
In a saucepan, boil 2 cubed peaches with 4 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar. Simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes. Stir in ¾ cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice. Serve in tall glasses with ice. Serves 4.

Quick Peach Cobbler
Make topping first by mixing equal parts (1/2 cup) of flour and brown sugar. Add ½ tsp of nutmeg, 1 tsp of cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Cut in 4 Tablespoons of butter, until mixture forms crumbs. Slice 5 peaches and arrange in a buttered 1 quart baking dish. Cover with topping. Bake at 450F for 20 minutes. Service with ice cream or whipping cream. Serves 4.

Peach & Berry Kabobs
Wash and slice 6 medium peaches, slice 4 bananas into ½" rounds, wash and prepare 4 cups of strawberries. Thread fruit onto 12 (8") bamboo skewers. Chill. Combine 1 cup of plain yogurt with a bit of fruit juic. Mix well. Serve as a sauce with fruit kabobs.

Peach Milkshake
In a blender, combine 1 cup of fresh sliced peaches, 3/4 c. milk, and 1/4 c. chilled pineapple juice. Blend on high speed until mixture is smooth. Add 1 cup (or more to taste) of Vanilla ice cream. Blend until smooth.

Frozen Peach Pops
Puree 1 ½ cups of fresh peaches with 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice and ½ cup of fruit juice of your choice (mango, orange, pineapple, etc.) in a blender until smooth. Pour into freezer pop moulds and freeze until solid for about 3 hours.

Sweet Frozen Peaches
Take advantage of peach season by freezing peaches to enjoy all year long. In a large pot, mix sliced fresh peaches with sugar and some ascorbic acid (Vitamin C powder that acts as a natural preservative. It can be found in most pharmacies). Ratio: Approximately 4 cups of fruit, 1 cup of sugar and 1 tsp of ascorbic acid. Mix well and let sit for 2 to 4 hours (to create juice). Freeze in portioned containers. Thaw and spoon over ice cream, pound cake or shortcake, over cereal, use in smoothies, or enjoy on their own! This recipe works well to freeze strawberries too!

Peach Smoothie
Cut and slice 1 large peach. Blend the peach slices with 6 ice cubes and ½ cups of milk until a slushy texture is formed. Add ½ cup of yogurt and blend for another minute on low setting. You may substitute canned peaches in this smoothie.

Peach, apple & Ginger Ale Cocktail
Place 2 peeled peaches (sliced or cubed) and ½ cup of apple juice in a blender and process until smooth. While the blender is still running, add 2 ½ cups of ginger ale. Pour the fizzy drink into 4 tall glasses with crushed ice. Decorate with an apple slice and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Peachy!

© Toronto4Kids - Augsut 2008