For peach ice cream, just peel and chop. If they're really underripe, maybe puree them and drain off excess water I usually just throw slices in the ice cream base in the ice cream freezer, or in yoghurt (no sugar) and they break up well during the churning, but that's near ripe or ripe. Yours may be too firm.

If they're rock hard, as opposed to with a little give but not ripe, they may never ripen. I've made good peach pie with those, sliced thin, but the texture is more like apple. If you want them softer, you could precook them with sugar. That might also bring out more peachiness.

Lars, I like making fruit crisps in summer, and peaches are one of my favorites. It can be really nice when they're combined with berries. If you just slice and cook them in butter, I would use brown sugar and maybe a pinch or so of cinnamon. You can also grill them. The other night I grilled peach halves to have with grilled pork tenderloin.

I brought home a box of 8 drop dead gorgeous peaches from Sam's Club. They were pretty hard but smelled amazing...and perfect 3 days later. However, unlike Bristol Farms, they weren't free!

This is my go-to crisp recipe, especially the topping. You can use just about any fruit filling you like. A peach variation is at the end of the recipe. If you don't use this for your peaches, try the topping sometime with other fruit you like...it's good!

Apple Crisp

7-8 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into large chunks
Optional - 1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 T. lemon juice
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar (to taste)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 T. light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
10 T. cold butter, diced
Optional: 1 cup pecans or walnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large bowl, toss the apples, lemon juice and sugar until mixture is well combined.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. With food processor or pastry blender, cut in/pulse the butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in nuts.

Spread the apple mixture in greased baking dish. The fruit should be about 2 to 2 1/2 inches deep.

Sprinkle the topping evenly over apples. Bake the crisp for about 55 minutes or until bubbling and top is golden.

For Peach Crisp, use about 4 lbs. peeled peaches cut into 1/2-inch wedges, 2 T. flour, 2 T. lemon juice and 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar. Topping ingredients are the same as for Apple Crisp. Follow same instructions above for assembling and baking.

Good to know they might ripen still. I'll wait a couple of days.

They'll continue to ripen unless they were picked way too green and early. Once they start to ripen it goes quickly.

they can be placed a brown paper bag, which accelerates the ripening process

Peaches picked too green will not ripen no matter what you do.

Most peach farms pick their fruit green, and they will ripen in 3 or 4 days. They do not pick them ripe due to bruising. This reduces the flavor, but when peaches are picked ripe they only last a day or 2 before becoming mushy.

Peaches are climacteric, like bananas, tomatoes, etc. Will continue to ripen once picked. Timing of corse. Tomatoes need color break...

Similar that I like peaches fine but not at all stewed or cooked in pies or crisps. Nor do I like those mile high apple pies or crisps.

Ice Cream yes and firm ripe better than mushy. Especially the whiter flesh peaches.

You might like them halved, brushed with a bit of neutral oil and onto the grill for a few minutes, just to bring out a bit of caramelization. Plums like the grill also. (I hate pineapple but some like it grilled)

Some restaurants in Italy are so civilized. Often on a menu among the deserts is just 'fresh fruit'. They bring a bowl of the freshest in season. Then discussed among the table. The head of the table carves and slices with a provided knife and plates are passed. Fresh cream on the side. Pure fruit, no piles of added sugars. The bill reflects only what is consumed.

Famous for gelato for sure but that is different.

I have some peaches too, Lars, and they were so good that I'll probably go back and get some more to freeze to use in the winter. If you're not really into pie, crumbles, etc. I'd freeze. I've just peeled and chopped into have 1/2" - 1" inch chunks, put in a tupperware to flash freeze and then foodsaver them. So super to have in the winter and you can just break a chunk off. If you puree, I'd flat pack them in a quart bag, and you can break off as needed.

If you're in the mood to bake (or have others that are in the mood for you to bake:o) here are two recipes. First is this galette -- for pastry I've used the yogurt. Pretty straightforward. I used peaches, blueberries and strawberries for this. It's good.

https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/07/blue-and-red-berry-ricotta-galette/

I made this one today; I'll post recipe later if it's good -- it may be a dud -- just being realistic. Had about 20 blueberries that I threw in too, so my grandmother would be proud I didn't waste anything. Wish I would have seen chloebud's peach crisp.
CathyinSWPA

I like peaches better than apples, which I do not care for at all, even in pie. I also do not like grilled fruit, but many people do, so that's a possibility.

If I get peaches and leave them for a couple of days, they do get somewhat softer and riper. If they are picked too green, though, they just get soft or mealy, but not nice and juicy.

I make peach cobbler, it's simply a peach filling with dollops of sweetened biscuit dough on top. Until Amanda found that she was celiac it was her favorite dessert, it was also Dad's favorite. Now I'm working on decent gluten free biscuits so she can have peach cobbler again.

I can peaches when I have a lot, and I always freeze some sliced and packed into ziplock bags for things like pie and cobbler. Ashley likes canned peaches right out of the jar, but baked goods seem to turn out better with frozen or fresh fruit instead.

Enjoy them, I hope they ripen up nicely and become delicious.

Annie

Peach cobbler. Add some raspberries or blueberries if there aren't enough peaches.

Peach cobbler is a family favorite here.

I like peach chutney. It's great with pork (roast or tenderloin), or as a snack with cheese and crackers (or good bread).

I remember as a kid being served peaches with sour cream and brown sugar on top. My sister and I were totally grossed out wondering if the hostess had lost her mind. So funny to think about now.

Chloebud, that does sound cloying! But strawberries, especially ones that aren't candy ripe, are good with sour cream and brown sugar. It's a classic dish dating at least back to the mid-20th C. That hostess probably figured if it was good enough for strawberries, it would be good for peaches. :)

No, No, Chloebud! Peaches should be cut and sprinkled with as much light brown sugar as you wish to make yummy juice. Serve with dollop of dairy sour cream for a delicious cool dessert for a hot & humid day. SO good!

My DH was stationed sans family in Georgia several decades ago where he got amazing peaches and made this for co-workers who loved it. He called them "Yankee Peaches" just to be cute...

One of the peaches was ripe today, and so I ate it. I normally eat the peeling, but if I freeze the rest, I may peel them first. I think I won't slice them before freezing them also. I think I will make a small batch of peach ice cream, because that will keep well in the freezer. After tasting one peach, I do not think I will need additional sugar for the peaches and will use my vanilla ice cream recipe, but with reduced vanilla. I would use peach brandy in place of vanilla if I had that, but I don't. I think I might add a tiny bit of Amaretto, as I like almonds with peaches. I think Amaretto might enhance the peach flavor better than vanilla would. Normally I omit all vanilla when making fruit ice cream and sometimes use lemon juice, especially for strawberry ice cream. I really do not like vanilla with most fruit, but if the amount is small enough, it could be okay. I have some cherimoya in the freezer, and I might add that.

chloebud -- we had peaches and cottage cheese:) IDK if this was an offshoot of the pineapple and cottage cheese "salad" we had with dinner sometimes, or a thing HA!

In any event, I think your ideas are spot on Lars. I too would rather an almond flavor than vanilla. They really do freeze well; particularly what you're going to be using them for.

The Crispy Peach Cobbler -Smitten Kitchen that I posted before was very, very good. The filling was only the fruit and lemon zest/juice. I was surprised after several hours that it actually became thick. In the comments some people added cinnamon, vanilla, etc. All sounded good to me.

CathyinSWPA

"Peaches should be cut and sprinkled with as much light brown sugar as you wish. Serve with a dollop of dairy sour cream..."

LOL, roxanna...I totally agree but just not when I was 7.

plllog, I'm sure you're right about her using peaches vs strawberries.

Cathy, I still love peaches and cottage cheese. :-)

Peaches and cream cheese sounds good. Not that I'm looking for stuff to put cream cheese on. :) The tree ripened peaches aren't ripe yet. I'm looking forward to those!

Lars, aren't peaches and almonds cousins?

Oops...I edited my post. That would be peaches and cottage cheese. However, I'm not one to ever turn away from cream cheese.

LOL! But peaches and cream cheese does sound good! Like on puff pastry or an egg bagel.

Peaches and cottage cheese sounds more "normal", however.

plllog, yes...puff pastry, for sure.