On 2019-08-11 3:05 p.m., U.S. Janet B. wrote:
> On Sun, 11 Aug 2019 14:59:02 -0400, Dave Smith
> > wrote:
>
>> This afternoon I picked up some peaches to make a pie. I had hoped my
>> wife would peel them while I made the pastry. No such luck. She was
>> busy, but she suggested I try scalding them to loosen the skins. That
>> reminded me of the discussion here a weeks or so ago. I noted the
>> approximate times it took to work.
>>
>> Since we had a few nice, ripe peaches left over in the fruit bowl I
>> started with them. I gave them two minutes in a pot of boiling water
>> and then dunked them into cold water so I could handle them. I just had
>> to pierce the skin to start it and then I could peel it off with no
>> effort. The not quite as ripe ones needed about another minute. The
>> two that were a little under ripe were s another store. They got about 4
>> minutes and were easier to peel than they would have been without the
>> scalding, but the skin did not fall away like it did with the ripe ones.
>> The skin had to be pared off with a knife.
>>
>> The pie is in the oven now. The timer just went off for the oven to
>> be turned down.
>
> I am surprised about the length of time. When I canned peaches I got
> them direct from the fruit farm and they were ripe (if you snugged
> them in your palm your could feel that there was some give, same way
> you would check an avocado or tomato) I would put them in boiling
> water for 30 seconds or less and the skins would slip off. Red on the
> outside of the fruit doesn't mean it is ripe. Maybe you have a
> different type of peach where you live. Your timing would have given
> me a fully cooked peach.

There are a number of peach cultivars. These were clingstone peaches.
Most people use cling free peaches for canning, because the pits pop
out easily. Perhaps there is a difference in the skin.