The Time is Ripe for Georgia Peaches

While recently traveling I-75 through Georgia, we couldn’t help but notice all the signs along the road for fresh peaches for sale.  Even in Atlanta, there is an impressive office building seen from the interstate with a giant pink metal peach with a green leaf attached to it perched atop it.   It lights up at night.  From the south end of the state to the north, peach vendors and orchard trees were visible along side every roadway.  

I started to think about what one could do with all those peaches, and by the way, where did they come from?  And more importantly, how does one know when and where to get the freshest and best peaches.   Read on to find out what I learned.

 I took this picture of a roadside peach orchard.  

Like most fruit trees, it is only about 8--14 feet high with most fruit gathering along the main branches of the tree in bunches of two or three.  Some tree varieties are even shorter.  All have long green leaves that are easy to maneuver around while harvesting and the branches are easy to manipulate to get the fruit.

It is currently the end of July.  Most from “the peach state” agree that mid-March to Mid-August is peach season.  Because weather conditions have been favorable for growth and fruit production, this year seems to have produced an abundant crop to choose fruit from.  So, now is the best time to get peaches at their peak.  It occurred to me that in our prepping travels, we try to sample and get the best local and where available, organic produce and especially fruits.  Where better to get peaches than from the best source-Georgia orchards.  Roadside stands vend peaches in handy little sacks, baskets, or bags.  Or, in some orchards you can select your own peaches from the trees.  You just must remember to handle with care—like eggs, as the fruit skin bruises easily. 

You pay for them buy the pound.  This container holds about five pounds of fruit. 

Usual cost this time of year runs about $1.60 a pound.  Closer to the end of the season, I think prices will go down a little, but discounts are offered for quantities purchases in most places.

Should you chose to go into the orchard, select fruit that is almost perfectly mature and symmetrical being careful not to squeeze it too hard when harvesting.  You remove the fruit with a twisting motion or you can shear it off with pruners or a knife.  If you pull on the fruit and the skin doesn't give a little, it is not mature enough to harvest.   Select fruit like shown here for best transporting and ripening at home.

Georgia produces over 130 million pounds of peaches annually and although there are over 40 varieties, only four are commonly produced for commercial production and sale to the public.  "Belle” and “Thurber” are top sellers.  It is not because they are the best tasting peaches, but because they travel well, grow into a larger fruit, and last longer after being picked.  Yes, most are grown to be sold because they have a good “shelf” life!  Those who like more traditional varieties of peaches seem to prefer cling or freestone peaches for their taste and juiciness.  They do not often show up into markets because they grow and ripen in smaller sizes, have a shorter shelf life, and bruise easier.  The cling variety is often used in cooking and canning and is larger than popular varieties.  Freestone peaches are smaller--close in size to an apricot.  They are juicy and ripen quickly with a short shelf life.  These older varieties are still grown in non-commercial settings today.

The peach is reported first cultivated some 4,000 years ago in China.  It was introduced to the US by Spanish Monks who cultivated them in St. Augustine, Florida.  The native Cherokee Indians enjoyed the fruit and transplanted the trees into Georgia, where the climate and soil was most favorable for propagating the edible fruit plants.  Early Georgia settlers traded for these tasty fruit trees and cultivated them into orchards.  By 1860, planters were exporting their crops to places as far away as New York City.  The “Peach State” designation became popular after the Civil War.

I feel the best Georgia peaches are grown in Peach, Crawford, Taylor and Macon counties.  Mid to South Georgia is the ideal climate and soil for growing the tastiest fruit.  I recommend finding a vendor close to the orchard.  These fruit were offered for purchase roadside 20 feet from the trees from which they grew.  They are harvested daily and rinsed off with water.   This location happens to be an organic farm.   With the fruit and produce sold here, prices are slightly higher, but have a much richer, juicier, and
earthier taste.  Shelf life is not the primary concern.  Fruit not sold are aged and processed into jams, jellies, and other preserved products.  They even add the fruit to homemade ice cream.

 Sure, you can get them a little cheaper in the supermarket but you have to ask yourself.  Where did this peach come from?  How long has this peach been sitting in a cooler or on display once harvested?  And, where did this peach grow?  Many chain markets buy green fruit, artificially age it, and sell it many miles from the field where it grew.  You have to ask yourself, how fresh is that?  Will this peach have a good juicy taste or be dry, tasteless, and pithy?  We need to look at food resources that are native to the area in their season.

Peaches can be consumed in many ways.  They make a great snack, are good canned or dried, and can be added to many recipes.  When they are very, very, ripe they are best made into pies or cobblers.  They are even tastier when served with ice cream.  My Grandmother used to add some sugar to cut up peaches and prepare them as turnovers—sometimes fried, sometimes baked.  Many people like them sliced and chilled.  You can enjoy the fuzzy skin of the peach or peel it.  The pit stone is not edible and should be discarded.  The kernel inside the pit resembles an almond, but with a bitter taste.  It contains cyanide and should be consumed sparingly.  It is easy to slice around the peach stone and pull away the two sides with a slight twisting motion.  The results look like this.

How to pick perfect peaches to enjoy.  When selecting the best peaches to enjoy here are a few tips.  First, smell the fruit.  The peach is a member of the rose family and should have a sweet, but pleasing fragrance.  If it smells green, pass on it.  Next, look for a creamy gold to yellow under color.  The red spots, blotches or “blush” of a peach indicates variety, not maturity.  The touch of a peach’s skin should be soft, but not mushy.  If you squeeze a peach, it will bruise and turn brown or black in that spot.  Bruise spots can be cut away or eaten if relatively recent.  Your taste buds will tell you if it is still edible. If you purchase a beautifully skinned peach and the next day it has bruise marks, someone squeezed it or it was dropped before you picked it out.  If they are firm, but golden yellow, let them ripen at room temperature for a few days.  Refrigerate, can, cook, or eat within a week of purchasing or removing from the tree.  To keep sliced peaches from darkening after prepared, coat sides with lemon juice or ascorbic acid.