There are few fruits as luscious as a perfectly ripe peach. And I haven’t had a great peach in many, many years. So when we finished apple picking, here, and realized the exact same orchard still had a relatively abundant crop of peaches on their trees, we grabbed another “peck” bag and started down peach lane. Peaches are typically at their peak in June and July in the Southern states of the U.S., but in the Northeast, the season can extend out to early September. Thankfully for us, the rather cool and rainy summer must have extended this year’s season and we had this chance to pick our own peaches. And gosh, they were pretty darned GOOD peaches.
From what I understand, peaches need a hot or warm spell to coax the sweetest and most luscious texture from the crop. But hot days were in short supply this summer in New England, so I wasn’t expecting to get a spectacular peach… Just the experience of being in an orchard and getting to pick our own peaches was fantastic enough, but the peaches we picked exceeded all expectations…
The trees were still chockfull with peaches, and one had an incredible bounty to choose from. We picked the biggest, heaviest, densest peaches we could find, and they came off their stems with the greatest of ease, a clear sign they were nearly perfectly ripe. Dozens and dozens of peaches lay at the foot of each tree, having fallen off on their own, or discarded by previous pickers, so the fragrance of ripening peaches definitely added to the experience.
Unlike the apples, these peaches needed a day or two soften a bit more. Apparently, once you pick a peach, it doesn’t ripen or sweeten any further, it just gets juicier. This differs from say a mango that can go from green and sour to yellow and sweet several days after it is picked. We bit into our stash of peaches for several days afterwards and they were very juicy, sweet and flavorful. The intensity of the peach flavor may have been a little less than say a Georgian peach at its peak, but these specimens were still some of the finest peaches we have eaten in a while!
At $1.99 a pound, they were pricey, some 30-50% more than the cold hard “imported” peaches in the nearby groceries, but I would pay the difference any day to sink my teeth into freshly picked, ripe on the tree peaches! YUM.
33 Responses
I love peaches! A favourite dessert of mine is putting sliced peaches in a glass, then red wine poured on them, with optional sugar on top. Let them ‘set’ for a few minutes, then enjoy!
I love peaches especially the white variety.
The entire east coast of the US had a cool, wet summer with less sun than normal. I’m south of New England, in New Jersey. I’m fortunate to be just down the street from an orchard. Their crops have all ripened later than normal too, but I’m glad it afforded you a peck of tree ripe peaches.
My fig tree hasn’t gotten enough sun to ripen the fruit. I’ve talked to friends, they’re in the same situation with their fig trees. Cold & frost will probably come well before any ripen.
the “freshest” peaches I ever had so far are the ones I bought from Whole Foods in San Francisco last July
mmm..i can almost smell them from here…
i like peaches too! it’s one of my favorite fruits other than mangoes… can you imagine a world without it? :D
Mr MM, those peaches are just mouth-watering. I love peaches. You have the freshest peaches on your hand. Freshly picked from the tree.
lovvee fresh peaches! one of the fruits i look forward to during the summer months here. the smell of ripening peaches is intoxicating
i just bought some peaches. they’re so huge and were sold for 79 cents each. my family and i enjoyed them so much…
Did you have some white peaches too, MM? I prefer them to the yellow ones, which (the latter) to me tastes better cooked in light syrup rather than fresh.
wow, those peaches look “heavy on the hand”—a sign of juicy peach…looks delicious!
MikeW–which orchard is that?..wanna go…thanks!
to quote the beatles ” oh you come on like a dream, peaches and cream, lips like strawberry wine…”
i love peaches, in can, juice especially fresh. But I like fresh fruit to be crunchy than soft. Its around 14 dirhams ( 1 dirham = roughly P13) a kilo here in UAE.
yummy …
I love peaches and bing cherries.
Bing cherries and peaches are a plus.
have you tried peaches that are manibalang? if you happen to come across one, get it. tastes just like mangga, crunchy with a hint of sweetness at the same time. just like a typical pinoy, sometimes i dip them into ginisang bagoong alamang, hahaha!!
Speaking of “manibalang” and crunchy, how about White Nectarines. We picked some last Saturday at .39 cents a pound, really good. Now, if I could only embed pictures of them…
Nothing says summer like peaches :) Well, okay, peaches and cherries. Personally, I prefer Rainier cherries, though Bing cherries will do in a pinch.
What is “manibalang”?
I wonder what fruit will MM feature next, strawberries? hehehe ;)
I reckon that we will be getting some pleasant surprise recipes from all the fruits MM has been gathering all the while…!!!
;)
manibalang means half-ripe.
oh my! I love fresh peaches!!!! crisp on the outside and soft inside. if i could eat peaches everyday I’d die a happy person. :P
You’re indeed such a lucky guy MM. I only get to pick my peaches in farmville and farmtown.
$1.99/lb is not bad. At the farmers market last week, organic peaches were $2.50/lb and the regular peaches were $1.50/lb.
Nectarine and peach looks similar except peaches haves powdery hairs, taste? nectarine is good to eat as it is while peaches you can turn it into a delicious juice using a blender. try making your own coctail out of it,peach,banana,mango,carrot and orange with ice cubes and sugar..superb!!!!
I just ran into your blog while I was looking up topiary pictures and your dalendan post came up. I love you blog! I’m a Filipina living in the US and love your take on the food in the Philippines. Also… great pictures!!!!
peaches are a tasty and tactile delight (fuzzy texture, as you pointed out). my first peach-picking experience was at michigan a few years ago. glad yours was enjoyable!
I prefer white peaches as well, they are amazingly aromatic. I have yet to find a peach grown in the northeast that can compare to west coast or southern peaches…and believe me I have tried at every farmers’ market or pick-your-own I come across. It may be because peach trees in the northeast seem to be much more prone to disease…it is next to impossible to find organically grown peaches of eating quality comparable to what you might find in California.
Apples, on the other hand, do very well in the northeast. As do cherries.
Oh darn!!! Now I am craving to go apple and peach picking!!! I hope I can convince hubby to go… or maybe I’ll psyche my brother… MM, there is no end to your adventure.
Jade186, I’m guessing apricots, one of my all-time favourites along with peaches. But maybe that’s just wishful thinking!
I seldom eat peaches nowadays. Being in the northeast, I know they are treated with pesticides to get them in perfect shape for market.
MM,
I saw fresh peaches in Rustan’s today. This post of yours inspired me to get my hand on a couple.
Sayang nga lang na the prices are prohibitive for a full basket of peaches. Lumalabas P70.00 isa. I know for some this might be a steal but for us who are not that well off financially, di pwede nang “one-to-sawa” ang bibilhin mo.
Nonetheless, I was happy about this post of yours because i love peaches and to come across fresh ones in the supermarket for me, at least, is really a foodie treasure.
Ummmm…those peaches look really good…envy you….
love peaches especially white peaches..i wish they were available all year round!=)