Juicy Peaches:  A Summer Favorite

A Refreshing Summer Fruit

From mid-May through the end of September, peaches are a natural way to sweeten your meals. Sliced fresh, they are delicious in dishes from salads and appetizers to entrees and desserts.

Selecting High Quality Fruit

Purchase peaches from a farmer's market or grocery store that has new produce daily. Look for fruit that is soft and yields to gentle pressure when you hold one in your palm. You should clearly detect the peach's sweet fragrance. Color is another good indicator; there should be a deep yellow background color; the amount of red varies and is not related to ripeness or quality. Buy just what you plan to use, because fresh peaches go bad quickly.

Storing and Ripening

Most of the time peaches you find in grocery stores will have been picked from the tree just before ripening. Unripe peaches should always be stored at room temperature -- from warehouses to grocery stores. If they are stored at cooler temperatures before ripening, their flavors will not develop and they will become dry and mealy. However, once the fruit is soft and ripe it can be stored in the refrigerator several days. To ripen firm peaches, place them in a fruit bowl and keep it at room temperature. If you have only one or two, put them in a paper bag and seal it; set aside until the peaches ripen, about 1 to 3 days.

Cooking Tips

Peaches today have much less fuzz on the outside, so it is often unnecessary to peel them before using them in recipes. The skin contains many vitamins and phytonutrients that are vital to good health, which gives recipes a nutrition boost. However, if you must peel them, it's not difficult: blanch the fruit in boiling water for 10 seconds or until the skins split. Lift them from the water and immediately plunge them into an ice water bath to stop the cooking; the skins should slip right off. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the peeled and cut surfaces immediately to prevent oxidation, or browning, when they are exposed to air.

Peaches can be peeled and poached in sugar syrup, white wine, or fruit nectar and spices to accompany savory meats or to serve with ice cream and pound cake. Put peeled and halved peaches in simmering liquid, along with cinnamon sticks or other whole spices, then cover and cook just 10 to 15 minutes. To grill peaches, cut them in half, brush with lemon juice and dust them with a little sugar. Put them cut sides down over medium coals and grill until hot and marked. They add simple, fresh flavor and color to a dinner of grilled pork tenderloin or chops.