Ellie's Peach Pie Smoothie is a healthy and refreshing take on a classic dessert.

Peaches are one of the top reasons I love summer. There is nothing quite like biting into a ripe, juicy peach on a hot day and feeling the sweet nectar dribble down your mouth. Napkin? No, thank you.

Unfortunately, peaches are the kind of fruit that can get overripe pretty quickly. Forget them in your crisper for even a few days, and you are stuck with mushy, bruised fruit. Luckily, there are loads of healthy ways to prepare overripe peaches that still bring out all the same delicious summery, peachy flavor. Here are Healthy Eats’ top 5 uses for peaches that are past their prime.

1. Make a chutney – The peaches are already mushy, so they will cook quickly. Plus, you are cooking them with loads of other pungent flavors like shallots, mustard and cherries, so you don’t have to worry about tasting any sourness that might have developed in your peaches.

Recipe: Food Network Kitchens’ Peach-Mustard Chutney

2. Freeze them and blend them into smoothie – Freeze overripe peaches and blend them into a refreshing fruit smoothie. The final product will have great peach flavor and color, and no one will be able to tell they were bruised or mushy to begin with. Freezing peaches generally is also a great way to preserve them past the summer months.

Recipe: Ellie’s Peach Pie Smoothie (above)

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Tomato-Peach Salad from Food Network Magazine.

We’re teaming up with food and garden bloggers to host Summer Fest 2011, a season-long garden party. In coming weeks, we’ll feature favorite garden-to-table recipes and tips to help you enjoy the bounty, whether you’re harvesting your own goodies or buying them fresh from the market. Today, we’re exploring peaches.

Peaches are finally in season, so get your hands on some while they last and enjoy them in as many ways as you can (but don’t forget to freeze some for the colder months!). Here are 8 healthy ways to eat the sweet stone fruits that you might not have thought of.

8. As a side dish: Tomato-Peach Salad from Food Network Magazine (pictured above)

7. With chicken: Bobby Flay’s Grilled Chicken With Spicy Peach Glaze Read more »

Peach-Mustard Compote - Photo by Charles Masters/Food Network Magazine

I absolutely adore stone fruit, from peaches to plums to cherries to apricots to nectarines. Yes, they’re delicious in desserts (and fresh from the bag, juice dripping down the chin), but I don’t discriminate in my kitchen: I love sauteed peaches and plums on salads, peach-marinated pork chops, cherry salsa and grilled nectarines. But the peaches I dream about in August look incredibly sad (not to mention tasteless) languishing in the grocery bin in December. So this year, I’m hoarding all the fruit I can and puttin’ it up, like Grandma’s preserves — with a twist.

We’re teaming up with other food and garden bloggers to host Summer Fest 2010, a season-long garden party. Each week we’ll feature favorite garden-to-table recipes and tips to help you enjoy the bounty, whether you’re harvesting your own goodies or buying them fresh from the market. To join in, check out awaytogarden.com.

See fruit-preserving recipes, and join the stone fruit recipe swap »

Dana's Peach Frozen Yogurt

Tart yogurt shops like Pinkberry and Red Mango are in fashion this summer, but you won’t believe how easy it is to make your own in-style fro yo. Try our recipe for a seasonal favorite — smooth and silky peaches and cream.

Get the easy recipe »