It Is Peachy in
Central California, Summer 2010
Words,
Photos, and
Slide Show by JoAnne Green
7/27/2010
To contact JoAnne Green,
send comments to
As
usual, it is hot in July, with triple-digit temperatures
in the Central California. It is also at the peak of peach season here. For years, peaches
have been known as one of the most popular fruits in
the summer. Despite complaining a lot about the
heat in this region, the local folks love to express
their enjoyment of having an abundance of beautiful,
sweet and juicy peaches at this time of the year.
Story continued
below.
To
hear the music with the slide show, please turn on your
speaker.
There
are about one hundred and fifty commercial varieties
of peaches grown in the Central Valley. It was
estimated by the California Tree Fruit Agreement
that the production of peaches for 2010 from all
counties in Central California would be around five
hundred million pounds. Peaches are listed among the top ten crops in
Fresno County in dollar value. The Central Valley
remains the top peach-producing region in the country.
The
harvesting date for some early varieties of peaches
normally starts in March. Due to a long cool spring
this year, the time to pick most varieties of
peaches has been delayed about two weeks. Peaches
are in full harvest season from May through August
this year. By the middle of June, peaches of all
varieties are abundant at many fruit stands,
farmers' markets, and supermarkets.
During
the peak of peach season, shoppers can buy the best
fruit with the best fragrance and the sweetest, juiciest taste at
the lowest price. I notice that samples of peaches
often are offered to the buyers at many fruit stands
and farmers' markets. The growers at the fruit
stands and farmers' markets also are eager to tell
their customers the names of varieties of their
peaches. In contrast, the produce managers of many
supermarkets do not display peaches by variety.
August Lady, Autumn Flame, Elegant Lady, O'Henry,
May Sweet, September Sun, Snow Giant, and Snow
Princess are some of the most popular varieties of
peaches that are sold in the major supermarkets
locally and around the country. Yet, practically all
peaches in major supermarkets and grocery stores
have stickers that only say "Peach Yellow" or "Peach
White."
Now, I
have a question: as a peach lover, do you care to
know what type of peach you buy? When you find a
peach in the store that you really love, wouldn't
you like to know its name so you can watch for it
next season? Please let me know
by sending an
email to
Besides eating as many fresh
juicy peaches as I can during the season, I also like to freeze them to make
peach cobblers and smoothies in the winter. I find
that freezing peaches is easier and quicker than canning them. Here are the steps
I use to freeze peaches:
First, cut each peach into half and remove pit.
Then, slice each half into four wedges and put
them side-by-side on a cookie sheet. There is no
need to put sugar on them. Put the cookie
sheet in the freezer. When they
are frozen, put the peach slices in freezer bags and
return them to the freezer. They are good for at
least six months. That's
simple.
You are
invited to share your favorite stories and recipes
for peaches on
ExperienceClovis.com.
Click Here to submit your stories and
recipes.
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