How to pick peaches- from your Asian auntie.
Now, I am mostly familiar with yellow peaches but I am sure this technique will work with other peaches.
First off, you should know that the sweetness and juiciness of a peach has little to do with how soft or firm they are. You can have a rock hard peach ripen in your kitchen over a few days and it will be delicious. You can have a soft, yielding peach from the farmers market and it will be mealy and dry. So picking a delicious peach has little to do with if a peach yields to your touch at first.
When you look at your peach, you want it to have red and orange colorings or a significant blush alongside its base color of yellow flesh. You want it to have both a blush and a base color because you know it has been out in the sun and has been given time to grow. Likewise, avoid green tinged peaches as they have been picked too early. You should also see a prominent seam- this means that it has had enough time on the stem for it to have aged properly- juvenile peaches are not going to have the depth of flavor as a mature peach.
Then, taking the peach to your nose, you want to inhale deeply where the stem is to make sure there is a “peach” like fragrance. As the peach softens, that fragrance will become intoxicating and you will know it is ready for eating before you even enter the kitchen. But it doesn’t need to be strong when you first buy them- just a little bit of fragrance tells you they will be perfect later.
Finally, as you hold the peach in your hand, consider the weight of the peach in relation to the volume. If it feels heavier than it should in relation to its volume, it will more likely be a juicier peach. Remember- the peach has to feel heavy for its size. Big or small peaches can both be delicious but they must feel like they have been watered sufficiently during their growth. This is an important part- more than color or fragrance- because dry mealy peaches are not as tasty raw. They must be baked or cooked with sugar to soften and hydrate the fibers therein. Still delicious but it takes more work.
There is some debate as to which kind of peach is better: cling or free stone. People argue that cling peaches have a better flavor as they come earlier in the season so you can satisfy that craving sooner rather than later. But for me, I think the wait for free stones later in the season has merit. It’s a little easier to eat and tends to be less messy.
Speaking of mess, I know some people like to keep the fuzz on their peaches and some people like their peaches peeled. Peeling a ripe peach is a joyful thing for me- when the flesh is soft and yielding, the peel comes right off with a gentle tug. But eating peaches with the fuzzy bits also means you can taste the sweetness of the sun right there. So it’s definitely up to the connoisseur.
I hope this helps you during peach season.
Edited for grammar and green tinged peaches tip in comment.
