Many people do not realize that the peach is actually a member of the rose family. The peach was first cultivated in China and has been long-revered. In Chinese folklore peaches are associated with magical Taoism, with luck and immortality. Peaches are still given as a traditional birthday gift in China. Travelers along the ancient caravan routes would carry the peach seeds to Persia, long before the peach was cultivated in European countries.
Early in the 1600's, the Spanish explorers brought it into the "New World" and by the 1700's missionaries had established peach crops in the state now known as California. Peaches are available nearly the entire year in the United States, but the best are thought to come from Georgia during the summer months. On the off seasons peaches are imported into the U.S. from Chile and Mexico.
Freestone peaches are traditionally sold as fresh fruit while a type called clingstone is usually used for canning. Although the skin may vary from golden to red, the fruit inside either of these types of peaches is yellow or white. The white flesh is a "sub-acid" peach with its flavor more sugary sweet.
The more traditional color fruit is yellow and the flavor is more acidic. Roughly half of the United States peach crop comes from the South. While Georgia is called the "Peach State", it actually ranks third in United States peach production behind California and South Carolina. Producers enjoy harvest and production advantages in Georgia due to the ideal southern geographic ability to harvest early and produce high-quality fruit.
Georgia peaches are touted as the sweetest and tastiest grown anywhere. The United States produces around 25% of the total world peach crop market. When choosing your fresh peaches look for ones that are soft to the touch, blemish free, and have a fragrant peachy smell.
Peaches that are mildly fragrant ripen into sweet and delicious flavors. Choose peach fruit that has a background color of yellow or orangey. Peaches may have some reddish "blush" depending on the variety, but keep in mind this isn't a sign of how the fruit will taste after it's ripe.
You can ripen peaches at home by placing them on a flat surface or in a brown paper bag for roughly two to three days at room temperature. Peaches will over-ripen quickly, so don't buy more than you plan to use within a few days. When selecting can peaches, choose fresh over canned when possible for the best health benefits and flavor.
Make sure to wash your peaches carefully in cool soapy water, then rinse well before eating or using. This will rid the fruit of any chemicals or micro organisms on the skin. If you plan to use them for cooking the skin will peel much more easily if blanched in boiling water for about a minute then plunged into ice water to cool. In fruit salads simply sprinkle diced peaches with fresh lemon juice to help them keep their rich peachy color. No matter how you use them, it's sure to be a delicious summer!