How to Eat a Peach

Choosing Peaches

Buy peaches when they're in season. The best peaches are grown locally and picked at their peak of ripeness, when they're just ready to fall from the tree. Depending on where your peaches are coming from, the exact time of that season will vary. In the United States, peaches are traditionally picked during the summer months, but are picked in different places from April to October. Peach season in the following peach-growing regions are as follows: Florida: April-May California: May-September Georgia: May-August South Carolina: May-August Michigan: July-September New Jersey: July-September Idaho: August-October Chile: November-April

Look for ripe peaches. It's best to pick peaches when they're ripe, then eat them in 2-3 days. Store bought peaches are typically less ripe, but will ripen some, left away from sunlight in room temperature for 3-7 days. If peaches are refrigerated, they'll stop ripening, so it's a good idea to put them in the fridge in a paper bag, when they're at the ripeness you're looking for. Pick peaches at the store that feel heavier than they look, which is a sign that the flesh is dense with juice. Don't squeeze peaches to see if they "give." Ripe peaches will give when you press into them, but that will leave a bruise, which will rot quickly. Ripe peaches often smell quite strongly at the stem, although some peach varieties will smell more strongly than other varieties.

Learn about different varieties of peach. Peaches have been cultivated for almost 3000 years, and there are literally hundreds of peach varietals grown worldwide. In the west, most peaches grown have yellow-orange flesh, while Asian peaches tend to be white. The best peaches to eat? Whatever variety is available locally. Local peaches are often much fresher and juicer, because they're allowed to be more fragile than peaches that need to be engineering for transport. The famous Georgia peach is an "Elberta" variety. Other common commercially grown varieties in the US include the June Lady, Flavorcrest, and the Red Top. All peaches are either "clingstone" or "freestone" peaches, depending on whether or not the pit "clings" to the flesh or not. Some hybrid varieties also exist. "Melting" peaches are typically clingstone, and are most often sold commercially for eating purposes. When ripe, "melting" peaches will be extremely juicy, as if the flesh were melting. "Non-melting" peaches will stay much more firm, and are the peaches typically used in canning.

Store peaches properly. When you get some peaches, remove the stems and store them stem-end down, on a fabric that will breathe well to help it ripen some. Linen or cotton napkins work great for ripening peaches. Cover the peaches with a thin napkin to keep them ripening. Put them in the refrigerator, loosely packed in a paper bag, or just loose, when the flesh begins to depress slightly and they smell fragrant. Once refrigerated, peaches usually need to be eaten in a few days. They'll become overripe in less than a week. Never store peaches in closed plastic bags, which promote spoilage. If you want to freeze peaches, it's common to blanch them quickly, then remove the skin with a knife and cut into bite-sized peaches. Store in air-tight freezer bags.

Eating Peaches Raw

Rinse the peach before eating. Always rinse your peaches in clean water, rubbing the skin gently with your hands or a vegetable brush, right before you're ready to eat them or prepare them. This helps to remove dirt and bacteria, as well as residual pesticides. Wait to wash your peaches until right before you eat them. Getting them wet before refrigerating can promote spoilage and bacteria growth. While it's perfectly fine to eat peach skin, you can remove the skin with a paring knife, if you don't like the texture. While peach skin is high in phytonutrients and fiber, many people aren't a fan of the fuzziness.

Eat the peach like an apple. Best way to eat a ripe peach? Just dig right in and get your chin wet. You can eat the whole thing, except the hard pit at the center. Try cutting the peach in half, rotating the knife around the stone in the center, then twisting gently to pull both halves free. Remove the pit easily and eat each half without worrying about biting into something hard. One of the joys of the ripe peach is its juicy texture. Some of them can be a bit too juicy, though, so you want to be careful to avoid staining your shirt. Get a handkerchief or a paper towel to catch the drips.

Slice into wedges. Use a paring knife to slice from the stem to the tail of your peach, going all the way around the center stone. Pull the halves in half, then cut each half into three or more slices, depending on how big your peach is. This is a great way to snack on fresh peaches. Try sprinkling your peach slices with a small pinch of cinnamon or brown sugar for an added little kick. Fresh cream is also an excellent addition. If you've got an extremely ripe clingstone peach, this can be a little tough to pull off. You may end up smashing the peach and having trouble moving the individual slices if they're clinging to the pit.

Mix diced peach or slices into yoghurt or cottage cheese. To add a little texture and sweetness to your yoghurt, diced peach is an excellent candidate. Aside from the probiotic properties of the yoghurt, you'll have a fruit high in iron, potassium, vitamins A and C, antioxidants, and various phytonutrients. Plus, even better, it just tastes good. Really want to gild the lily? Add some diced peach to a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Too good.

Add peaches to smoothie mixtures. Smoothies are made better with a little peeled peach, helping to bring sweetness and flavor to your beverage. For a simple breakfast smoothie that involves peaches try this: Mix equal parts of peeled peach and milk in the blender, over ice (two cups of each makes for a nice portion). Top with a third as much orange juice and honey, to taste. Other great additions include yoghurt, banana, strawberry, blueberry, chia seeds, peanut butter, or raw oats.

Use diced peach as a topping. Diced peach can be added to a variety of cereals and other mixtures for a sweet treat. Try a little peach on top of: Granola or other breakfast cereal Oatmeal Cream of wheat Polenta or hominy grits Muesli

Make a Bellini. A great summer peach beverage? Something Hemingway loved? Yes, please. By mixing peach puree and a little lemon, you can create a sweet and refreshing base for a champagne cocktail. Try mixing up the following in a food processor: Put four peeled and de-pitted peaches with the juice of one lemon and blend until smooth, then add sugar or honey to taste, and a tablespoon or two more of lemon juice. Pour some of the mixture into a champagne flute, then top with an equal amount of good Italian sparkling wine, called spumante, or champagne. A delicious summertime cocktail.

Cooking With Peaches

Make peach Melba. Poached peaches, fresh pureed raspberries, and vanilla ice cream. What more do you need to know? Here's how to make it: In a pan, heat a cup of water, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and about a cup of sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring it to a quick simmer and add four halved, peeled, and pitted peaches, cooking them until soft. Remove with a slotted spoon. Blend three cups of raspberries, a quarter cup of powdered sugar, and a tablespoon of lemon juice in a food processor. Let the warm peaches cool and add them to a cold bowl, then top with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce.

Bake with any kind of peach. Whether you've got peaches that are underripe or overripe, clingstone or freestone, delicious or mediocre, peaches make a great addition to tarts, pies, and cobblers. If you've got a lot of peaches, use them in your favorite baking dish. Make peach pie. Peach pie is an iconic and delicious late-summer treat in the US. Delicate, sweet, and simple, you can learn to make a good pie crust here. Bake a peach cobbler. Peach cobbler is a lot like pie, but without the crust and with a delicious, sweet, crunchy topping that goes so well with vanilla ice cream it should probably be illegal.

Make peach preserves. If you've got a bunch of peaches on your hands, they make a great candidate for cooking down into a super-sweet jam. Mix equal parts of fresh peach puree with white sugar, a little lemon juice, and boxed pectin to mix up a batch. Most commercial pectin comes with specific instructions and ratios to follow, depending on what kind of fruit you're using. Always defer to the pectin instructions specifically. Try mixing ginger syrup with peaches for a ginger-peach jam that goes great in marinades and on grilled meats. It also goes extremely well with blueberry, plum, or cherry.

Try drying peaches. When your peaches start turning, learning to dry them effectively can be a great way to save them and get a little more life out of a crop. The best way is to cut them into bite-sized slices and dry them in a commercial food dehydrated, or the oven on the lowest possible temperature for a long period of time. Low and slow.

Grill peach slices with roasted meats. While it may sound unconventional, peaches make a dynamic addition to a variety of grilled meat dishes. Quickly searing peach slices on the grill can be used as a side or as a topping for roast pork, chicken, or steak. Cut peach slices, then brush a little balsamic vinegar onto the surface of them before grilling them, flesh side down, for 3-5 minutes. It won't take long.