When To Eat Peaches

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ninjakitty419
ninjakitty419 Posts: 349 Member
in Food and Nutrition
If you have read my previous posts, you will already know that I am largely unfamiliar with fresh fruit: how to know when it is ripe, how to eat it, which parts to eat, etc. I am learning to try different fruits and I have decided to start with mastering peaches.

I have eaten several in the last couple weeks and I notice that they never taste or feel the same. Im sure it has to do with the stage of ripeness. At first, I bought them at the store when they felt hard, because I thought they were supposed to be hard. They didnt taste good then. Then I read that they are ripe and ready to eat when they are a little squishy, but Im never sure how squishy is "perfectly ripe" and how squishy is "over ripe and probably not tasting the best". So I bought some that were slightly squishy and put them in the fridge so they wouldnt get too ripe on my counter. Is that what I was supposed to do or not? Because I ate one today and the area around the pit was hard and red (do people eat that or cut it off? I cut it off because it felt like an unpleasant texture). Then I started eating the peach but was tasteless and had a grainy texture. How can I tell by looking that it will have the best flavor and texture? I dont want to keep cutting into them in the wrong stage and throwing them out because I dont like them.

Replies

  • atomdraco
    atomdraco Posts: 1,083 Member
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    Quote from Dr. Richter's "Fresh Produce Guide":

    "Selection & Storage:

    A red blush on a peach does not indicate ripeness. The background color should be overall creamy or yellow. A green background means the peach was picked too soon and will not ripen further. Buy peaches with unbruised and unwrinkled skin. Ripen at room temperature in a paper bag. When soft to the touch and fragrant, store peaches, unwashed, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Check frequently for brown spots."

    Enjoy your peaches.
  • crzyone
    crzyone Posts: 872 Member
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    The best ones to buy are the ones you can smell!
  • torregro
    torregro Posts: 307
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    Peaches are a tough buy because they are a very delicate fruit and are often shipped long distances. Because they're so prone to bruising, they're picked green and then shipped.........sometimes they NEVER ripen and just rot.

    The very best peaches are the very fuzzy ones, usually from down south, and like the other poster said, they should smell wonderfully. If you can buy peaches at a local orchard, you will get wonderful peaches because they don't have to travel.
    When you squeeze the peach, it should have a little bit of "give" to the flesh, but not be at all mushy. If you buy the hard ones, you're just gambling that they will or will not ripen properly. Once you've had a "real" peach, you'll love them, I'm sure.
  • janetb21
    janetb21 Posts: 182 Member
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    Peaches should smell good. If they don't smell good, they won't taste good. They should yield to gentle pressure. You don't want them to be hard.

    Buying hard ones that smell good and setting them on the counter to ripen can work out very well.
  • Dkenny74
    Dkenny74 Posts: 26 Member
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    Do you know if they are white or yellow? I personally prefer Yellow to white peaches.
    I eat them when they feel a bit mushy (if the juice runs down you chin you know it's ripe, lol). I live in California but had Ga peaches while visiting my folks in AL.
    Wow they where good. Ca peaches just don't have the flavor of a Ga peach.
  • kristydi
    kristydi Posts: 781 Member
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    Peaches should smell good. If they don't smell good, they won't taste good. They should yield to gentle pressure. You don't want them to be hard.

    Buying hard ones that smell good and setting them on the counter to ripen can work out very well.


    That. If they smell like nothing, they'll taste like nothing. The firmness is more a matter of your preference, though peaches shouldn't be hard.
  • johnsonjk
    johnsonjk Posts: 23 Member
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    When you go to the supermarket, ask the produce people. They can often help you with fruits and vegetables that you are unfamiliar with. Just ask them how to pick a good one. They are usually very helpful.

    That's what I do when I'm trying new vegetables or fruits and I don't know how to pick them.
  • ninjakitty419
    ninjakitty419 Posts: 349 Member
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    Do you know if they are white or yellow? I personally prefer Yellow to white peaches.
    I eat them when they feel a bit mushy (if the juice runs down you chin you know it's ripe, lol). I live in California but had Ga peaches while visiting my folks in AL.
    Wow they where good. Ca peaches just don't have the flavor of a Ga peach.

    I have tried both and I did not like the white peaches at all but the peach i had today reminded me of the white peach i had so maybe I was wrong (either about what type of peach i bought or maybe the white peach would have tasted good if it was correctly ripened)
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
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    You should eat peaches in July, August and early September.
  • osucristina
    osucristina Posts: 197
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    Agreed- eat them in season. Also, try getting them from the farmers market, they are overflowing with peaches (if it's a good crop) and they can pick out the best peach at whatever stage you want. You can also try one if you just ask. Most groceries stores will let you try one as well, especially Whole Foods! Oh and yes, they should be very fragrant, as will cantaloupe and any other soft flesh fruit.

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