An Ode to Summer Peaches

“Peaches have long been associated with kindness, love, and affection. Giving someone a peach as a gift goes beyond mere sweetness—it represents the desire to bring joy and happiness to their life. By offering a peach, you’re conveying warm wishes and genuine care for their well-being.”

I’ve always known this but never heard it put so succinctly! If you’ve been reading my columns over these many years, you know that peaches are my favorite fruit.

Like Lucy from the comic strip Peanuts, who only eats January snowflakes, I am very particular about when peach season officially starts for me. July and August are my favorite peach months. A list of my favorite varieties reads right out of an old western: Suncrest, Faye Elberta, O’Henry, Redtop…but they are more than that. All of them evoke thoughts of delight and chin-dripping joy, and deliver with every bite.

Suncrest was the inspiration for Epitaph for a Peach, by Mas Masumoto of California’s Masumoto Family Farm, who lovingly describes his Suncrest grove like this: “This orchard, now over 50 years old, is like an old growth forest. Sometimes we catch glimpses of complex life (like an owl sleeping inside the hollow of a limb that is still alive and growing).” These peaches are incredible - fresh, bright flavors that remind us of home. The Suncrest is a big, memorable freestone yellow peach whose firm but juicy flesh provides a real eat-over-the-sink experience. Gently tapered, it has hardly any blush to speak of on its rich yellow skin. Suncrest’s are available early to mid-July.”

Fay Elberta peaches are a wonderful heirloom first discovered in 1915. The Fay Elberta has golden yellow skin blushed with red, and its yellow flesh is firm, fine-grained and freestone. Fay Elberta peaches have exceptional flavor, great for eating fresh, freezing, or canning.

O'Henry peaches are very large, yellow, freestone peaches with red skin, firm flesh and superb flavor. The O'Henry peach was a winner in Sunset Magazine taste tests. It's not uncommon to hear customers in late summer proclaiming this to be their best peach of the season.

The big, bold Red Top lives up to its name and is almost fully blushed red over yellow. One of the first freestone varieties of the season, its flesh is consistently firm and sweet. With its unique coloration and ease of slicing, the Red Top is especially well-suited for presentation. Red Tops are available early July.

The Cal Red is my farmer friend Al’s favorite peach – and that’s saying something! It has been said to be the ultimate “Oh My God” peach, sweet and juicy yellow. With sumptuous golden flesh and a gentle, sun-kissed blush on its skin, the Cal Red is a freestone peach and only available for two to three short weeks in August.

These are just a few of my organic favorites; Melissa’s has an entire bounty of delicious peach options to round out your summer! And if you’re looking for some great recipes to use them in after you have had your fill of eating them fresh, although I personally wonder if that’s even possible. Check out this peach smoothie or try peach salsa!

I guess George Du Maurier summed it up perfectly: “An apple is an excellent thing—until you have tried a peach.”

So, this month, why not show someone you care and give them the gift of the perfect fruit during this absolutely perfect time to eat them?