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The season for peaches is here. Whether you are looking for the perfect peach to eat or bake into a classic peach pie, you will want to know the right one. Sweet, juicy peaches are part of the day. There is nothing like taking the first bite of a fresh Georgia peach as the tangy juice drips down your fingers. Peaches are delicious in their own way, but they are also perfect for cooking, baking, and other things.
Freestone peaches are easy to slice for a peach salad or cobbler, for example, while white peaches are great for snacking but should never be canned. Read on to know more about peaches:
Freestone Vs. Clingstone Peaches
The most basic distinction between peaches is freestone versus clingstone. Freestone peaches have pits that are not attached to the flesh, making them much easier to work with for peach recipes, while clingstone peaches have harder-to-remove pits that are attached to the flesh. Semi-freestone peaches fall somewhere in between.
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Most peaches you will find at the grocery store are freestone and clingstone peaches. Since clingstones can be tough to work with, it is suggested that you eat them out of hand. If you do not mind a little extra effort, they tend to hold their shape better for canned peaches or pie fillings and are also slightly sweeter than freestones; in fact, most commercially produced canned peaches are clingstone.
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Yellow Vs. White Peaches
Yellow peaches have orange-yellow skin, creamy yellow flesh, and a classic tangy-sweet flavour, while rosy-hued white peaches have white flesh and taste very sweet with floral undertones.
Interestingly, yellow peaches have a slightly higher sugar content than white peaches, but the latter comes across as much sweeter due to their naturally low acidity.
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White and yellow peaches both come in freestone and clingstone varieties and can be used in the same kinds of recipes. Keep in mind that white peaches have naturally softer flesh, which can cause them to become mushy in baked goods. Adjust acid levels as needed, or try them in a white peach tart.
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Yellow peaches are usually better for savoury dishes like honey-glazed pork chops with peach salsa since white peaches might throw off the balance of the final dish.
Donut Peaches
Also called flat peaches, these irresistible peaches are beloved for their doughnut-like shape and their juicy, extra-sweet flesh that is best saved for eating right over the sink. They are usually freestone, so the flesh comes off the pit easily. The most famous variety, Saturn, a white-fleshed doughnut peach, was first cultivated in the U.S. in the 1980s, but today you will find yellow-fleshed varieties, too.
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Nectarines
Smooth-skinned nectarines are technically a type of peach, but they are slightly tangier, and they lack peaches’ trademark fuzz due to a genetic mutation. They can be used interchangeably with regular peaches, and you can even leave the skin on when baking. Nectarines also come in white and yellow-fleshed varieties and can be freestone or clingstone.
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So choose the right peach for the right purpose, and enjoy peaches this season with sweet, tangy, and flavourful dishes.
