Last Updated on August 26, 2024 by Michelle

I love fresh peaches, so I’ll be honest, I hesitated to try fermenting peaches.

But I had an abundance when I ordered 20 pounds of fresh peaches from Azure Standard this month and I knew I didn’t want to can them. I hate lugging out the canning equipment and doing all the prep work and getting the kitchen so hot while the food processes and then after all of that sometimes the seals fail and I have to eat a jar or two right away anyway.

I knew I LOVE fermenting blueberries, along with a whole lot of other foods–in fact my top shelf of my fridge has a lot of jars of fermented foods filling it up right now–so it was a no-brainer.

Hesitation or not, I was going to try fermenting peaches.

 

What do fermented peaches taste like?

The short answer is DELICIOUS. Fermented peaches are a salty, slightly tangy version of fresh… peaches 2.0 honestly. They will be a little mushier than fresh peaches, but truly delicious.

Why would you ferment fruit?

The primary reason I ferment fruit is to preserve it. Canning is too much of a pain, and honestly doesn’t produce results that are as delicious as when I ferment. Not to mention that fermented food is 1000x better for us than any processed food. And bonus, fermented food captures good bacteria in the air and then when we eat it we are helping our microbiomes by replenishing the good stuff in it.

Do you need special equipment to ferment food?

The equipment you will need to ferment food:

• some sort of container to hold the food while it is fermenting (I love using mason jars)
• something to keep bugs out (it can be as simple as a piece of fabric held on to your container by a rubber band)
• a weight, to hold your food under the ferment brine (this could be a rock that you have cleaned and sanitized)

While you can seriously use almost anything around the house for these simple pieces of “fermenting equipment” (a lot easier than canning, yes?), I gotta shamelessly plug my absolute favorite fermenting kit here because it’s that awesome.

There’s no plastic involved, and it adjusts to work with any amount of food I’m fermenting–just a tiny bit or so much I need to squish it in. In fact, these fermenting springs allow me to ferment more food at a time because they compress the food under the brine. If you do purchase a kit, make sure it is a high-grade stainless steel (this one is) or it will corrode over time.

How long does it take peaches to ferment?

Fruit ferments quickly. You want to start tasting it after 24 hours and store it away as soon as it tastes perfect to you. (Keep reading for how to store your peaches.)

How do you store fermented fruit?

Once your fruit tastes perfectly fermented (usually this is right around 24 hours of fermenting for me, but you can let it go 2-3 days if you prefer a more tangy taste), you need to separate your fruit from the brine, otherwise the fruit will become total mush.

Store your brine and your fruit in two separate, sealed containers in your fridge.

Can I save leftover brine?

Always save your brine from your fermented peaches (or any ferment really). I love to use my peach brine to make the most amazing kombucha. Simply add about 1/4 cup of the brine to a 1/2 gallon second ferment of kombucha.  Unbelievably delicious and bonus EXTRA good for you.

If you don’t make kombucha, dive into my free kombucha resources and recipes here and get started! Better yet, take my Simple DIY Kombucha master class and be an overnight fermented drink pro. You’ll eliminate all soda from your family’s diet and improve their gut health in one fell swoop.

You can also add a few tablespoons of your peach ferment brine to a tall glass of ice cold seltzer water. Delicious!

What do you do with fruit after fermentation?

There are so many ways to thoroughly enjoy fermented peaches and all fermented fruit…

• straight up eat it. seriously. it’s a great midnight snack.
• enjoy it on your breakfast cereal. (This might be my favorite way.)
• use the brine, combined with a favorite seltzer flavor, to make a refreshing electrolyte drink. (Ok, maybe this is my favorite way.)
• toss some on a side salad.
• cover a bowl of ice cream with them.
• mix a spoonful in your bowl of yogurt.

Fermented peaches, and fermented blueberries, are truly two of my favorite treats to have on hand. Go here to download my 8-page Pantry Checklist to check out all of my favorite foods and ingredients and enjoy discount codes on many.

Can you accidentally ferment fruit?

If you’ve ever had fruit or jam turn odd tasting it could be you’ve accidentally fermented fruit, but that’s not the way to go…  because there is yeast and good bacteria in the air at all times and because fruit is naturally sugary, accidental fermentation can happen, but trust me you want to do it on purpose… keep reading…

Fermented Peaches

Fermented Peaches Ingredients:

• 1.5 tsp salt*
• 6 tbsp of sugar
• 9 tbsp of filtered, warm water
• 6 tbsp of kombucha (See notes below for alternative)
• 2 1/2 – 3 cups of fresh, sliced or diced peaches

* for the best results, weigh peaches and make a 2% salt brine, based on their weight. My 2 1/2 cups of peaches weighed 15 ounces. I multiplied 15 by .02 (since I want a 2% brine) and got .3, so I knew I needed .3 ounces of salt. Now the math gets a little harder… I know that 4 3/4 teaspoons of salt weighs about 1 ounce. So I multiply 4 3/4 by .3. The answer is 1.4. That’s how many tsps of salt I need for my exact amount of peaches. But you should be fine in the range of 1-1.5 tsp of salt for 2 1/2 cups of peaches.

Fermented Peaches Directions:

1. In a bowl, add cut up peaches, salt and sugar. Mix and let sit for 20-30 minutes.
2. Transfer peaches to a jar. (I used one of the tall, narrow mason jars linked below.)
3. Add kombucha.
4. Add enough water to fill jar.
5. Weigh down peaches with a fermentation weight that fits inside your jar. I love this kit. All the fruit must stay below the brine.
6. Add your ferment kit lid to the jar (or a loose lid, or a secured piece of fabric, if you don’t have this fancy kit).
7. After 24 hours, taste a few times a day until your ferment reaches the desired taste. It won’t take long. (Fruit ferments faster than veggies.)

Notes on Fermenting Peaches:

• Any fermented starter would work. If you make cheese, use some whey; if you make water kefir, use some of the liquid.
• I use this salt, for the bonus minerals; use code SOULYRESTED for 15% off every order, every time.
• I used raw cane sugar; I have to research if I can use maple syrup next time.
• This fermenting kit has ingenious springs that do an amazing job keeping your food submerged in the brine and lids that keep your ferment breathing yet keep out what you don’t want in your ferment.
• If you don’t have a starter culture on hand, like kombucha, you can still ferment your berries, just grab this 6-pack of starter cultures. You’ll only need a little from one packet for this recipe.
• If you’d like to know how to make your own kombucha, I got ya covered with everything you need to know about Simple DIY Kombucha.

My Favorite Fermenting Tools:

More on Fermenting Food:

• Foods to eat for gut health (podcast episode)
• How to ferment blueberries
• How to ferment cherry tomatoes
• The Cost of DIY Kombucha
• Making sourdough without wasting discard

 

–> AND DON’T FORGET! … Go here to grab my FREE 8-page Pantry Checklist, loaded with discount codes on my favorite things in my kitchen. You’ll be glad you did.

 

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“He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:9

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