4 Ways to Store Stone Fruits

Piles of peaches, masses of mangoes, and pounds of plums, few summer fruits define the taste of the season more than these pit fruits bursting with flavor. 

While we may not find ourselves needing to wrap & save half of a stone fruit (how could we ever not finish the whole thing?!), it’s when we buy bushels that we need to extend their lifespan with proper storage. With such a short in-season window, it’s important to savor these sweet treasures for as long as humanly possible!

Like all foods, stone fruits release ethylene during their ripening process. Airtight plastic bags trap this ethylene, suffocating the fruit and leading to built-up moisture that contributes to food spoilage. Leaving stone fruits naked in the crisper drawer allows them to shrivel, dry, and lose the flavorful juices they’re famous for (let’s be honest, there’s no polite way to eat a perfectly ripe stone fruit).

Stone fruits are alive and need to breathe and be protected. Wrapped in Abeego beeswax food wrap, pit fruits like cherries, drupes, and apriums (pluots) can oxidize while simultaneously being protected from air, light, and moisture. 

The result? Juicy, sweet, and delicious pit fruits for what feels like forever. 

HOW TO STORE STONE FRUITS WITH ABEEGO

THE COVER

Place peaches, nectarines, or apricots in a fruit bowl and use a Medium or Large wrap to cover. Abeego will act as a second skin to these thin-skinned fruits. 

Not quite ripe? Keep the bowl at room temperature. Pro tip: Abeego will also act as a fly deterrent! Not today, fruit flies, not today. 

Ripe & ready? Refrigerate the bowl! We like to let ours warm on the counter for a few minutes before devouring.

THE BAG

The term “bruise like a peach” wasn’t based on nothing. These fruits are as delicate as they are delicious, and no one wants mealy or mushy. 

Fold your Large Rectangle Wrap into a bag, fill it with stone fruits, and lay on its side in the fridge or on the counter to avoid stacking damage.

THE WHOLE WRAP

During peak season, these babies come in all shapes and sizes. Reach for your Medium or Small and cover the whole fruit, sliced or unsliced, to protect it in your bag when you take it for lunch or bring home from the farmers market/grocery store.

THE FREEZE & PLUCK

There comes a time when freezing is the best option. Here’s how we do it:

• Grab a cookie sheet
• Slice up your stone fruit
• Place the pieces in a single layer on the sheet so they don’t stick together
• Lay a Large Square or Large Rectangle Wrap overtop
• Store in the freezer overnight
• Once frozen, pluck the peaches from the Abeego-covered sheet, toss them in a bag, and continue to store in the freezer to keep on hand for smoothies or a decadent addition to ice cream.

STONE FRUIT TIPS, TRICKS & RECIPES

• Eating cherries on your hike or picnic? Fold your Abeego into a pouch and collect the pits to bring home & compost. 
• Prep some chia pudding or overnight oats with sliced peaches or nectarines on top. Cover each jar with a Small Abeego & have ready-made breakfasts for the week!
• Share the harvest with a fresh & flavorful potluck pitcher like Meiko & the Dish’s Peach Sweet Tea.
• Too many to eat fresh unless you want to turn into a stone fruit yourself? Perfect your canning and jamming skills with Kimberley Butler’s Canning 101.
• Experiment with herbs, cheese, and stone fruit for your next salad. We made a tomato, peach & burrata salad with fig, basil, honey, that tasted as good as it looked. 

SHOP ABEEGO & KEEP STONE FRUITS FRESHER LONGER