Peach Info

Best Peach Practices

Picking Peaches: Handle peaches carefully; they bruise very easily and decay develops rapidly.

Selecting Peach: Look for a peach with a creamy to gold undercolor that best indicates ripeness. The amount of red blush on the fruit varies by variety and is not always a sign of ripeness. Two other indicators of ripeness are a well-defined crease and a good fragrance. Select fruit that has begun to soften for immediate use. Firm, ripe fruit can be held a few days at room temperature to ripen further. Never pick peaches with a green undercolor; they will not ripen well. Green peaches will shrivel, become flabby, and never achieve a good flavor.

Storing Ripe Peaches: Peaches should be held at 32-35°F in high humidity. Fully ripened peaches should be refrigerated immediately and kept there until ready for consumption. Sound and mature, but not overripe, peaches can be expected to hold 1-2 weeks at 32-35° F with little adverse effects. Peaches deteriorate rapidly when stored for longer periods.

Ripening Peaches: Room temperature of 65-70°F is best for ripening peaches. There is no gain in sugar content once a peach is picked from a tree. Its ripening process consists primarily of softening, developing juiciness, and developing flavor. The riper a peach is at harvest, the more sugar it will contain. Remember, once a mature peach begins to ripen, it never stops; you can slow the rate of ripening by storing it in low temperatures.

Preparing Peaches: Wash peaches gently, peel, and remove pits. Handle carefully to avoid bruising. To peel a peach, dip it in boiling water for 30 seconds, then in cold water. The peel should slide off easily. To keep sliced peaches from darkening, dip them in lemon juice or ascorbic acid.

Source: North Carolina Department of Agriculture

Peach Varieties

Below is an identification table of some popular peach varieties grown in North Carolina:

Variety	Freestone (FS) or Clingstone (CS)	Maturity Season	Comments
Biscoe	FS	Mid to late	N.C. variety; large, high-quality fruit; recommended for canning.
Belle of Georgia	FS	Mid to late	White variety; freezes well; popular for local markets.
Candor	CS	Early	N.C. variety; medium-size fruit.
Carolina Belle	FS	Mid	N.C. white-fleshed variety, large fruit.
Clayton	Semi-CS	Mid	N.C. variety; small-size fruit, excellent flavor.
Contender	FS	Mid	N.C. variety; large fruit size; very cold tolerant.
Derby	CS	Early	N.C. variety; medium to large fruit.
Dixired	CS	Early to mid	Late-blooming variety.
Elberta	FS	Mid to late	Favorite yellow variety, especially for local market.
Ellerbe	FS	Mid	N.C. variety; medium to large fruit; good for canning and freezing.
Emery	FS	Late	N.C. variety; medium to large fruit.
Encore	FS	Late	Hardy, late-blooming variety.
Legend	FS	Late	N.C. variety; large fruit size.
Monroe	FS	Late	Susceptible to bacterial spot.
Nectar	FS	Mid	White peach variety; late blooming.
Norman	FS	Mid	N.C. variety; medium to large fruit; good for canning and freezing.
Parade	FS	Late	Very-late-maturing California variety.
Pekin	Semi-CS	Mid	N.C. variety; medium-size fruit.
Raritan Rose	FS	Mid	White variety; softens rapidly.
Redhaven	Semi-CS	Mid	Industry standard; recommended for freezing.
Reliance	Semi-CS	Mid	Late-blooming variety; poor quality, soft flesh.
Summer Pearl	FS	Mid to late	White variety; very susceptible to bacterial spot; high quality.
Surecrop	Semi-CS	Mid	Late-blooming variety.
Topaz	FS	Mid	Recommended for canning and freezing; flower buds are cold sensitive.
Winblo	FS	Mid	N.C. variety; medium to large fruit; good for canning and freezing.

Source: North Carolina Department of Agriculture