Early April awakens New Jersey’s peach trees; even late snows can’t hold them back. Their season is beginning. Some 75 peach growers begin inspecting 5,000 acres of orchards and predict the crop– always hoping for the best. By mid-April trees have erupted into billowing clouds of pinks and whites that will give birth to some of the most delicious peaches in the country.
“From peach buds to taste buds,” says Lenny Grasso, of Angelo Grasso & Sons in Mullica Hill. “The buds foretell how the peaches will mature. And this year’s late cold snap sealed in sugar that results in sweet, juicy fruit around mid/late June, when Jersey peaches begin appearing in the markets.”
As buds give way to baby peaches, workers begin the pruning process by hand to assure that mature fruit will be perfect. Baby peaches must be thinned; otherwise too abundant fruit will hog the nutrients available, thus diminishing the full flavors. A peach tree can be expected to yield approximately four to six bushels of fruit annually.
“Our New Jersey climate and soil are ideal for peach trees,” says Santo John Maccherone, chair of New Jersey Peach Promotion Council, the state’s organization of growers and packers. “They require 600 to 900 hours at a temperature of 45°F or less, but above 10°. To mature well, peaches prefer clear, warm weather — 75 degrees is ideal.” Once ripe, workers pick each peach by hand. It’s worth the wait for New Jersey-grown peaches, “the best,” according to some peach aficionados.
Now, to Market
First to appear in the markets are cling peaches in mid-late June. By July, the yellow and white freestones and doughnut peaches and nectarines are abundant in community farmers markets, supermarkets and, of course, farmers’ own stands.
While more than 50 varieties are grown in New Jersey, there are great similarities among the yellow-fleshed. However, some consumers have developed particular tastes for certain varieties, and Tom Holtzhauser of Holtzhauser Farms in Mullica Hill posts a list of the different varieties as they become available. “Our buyers have come to depend on that list,” he says. “They can recognize the variations in appearance and taste.”
In selecting peaches for peak flavor, buy them a little hard, but with good ‘peachy’ color (yellow to pale red, not green.) Check around the stems to make sure they’re yellow to pale red. Leave them on your counter until they begin to soften, then refrigerate them. This is when you can also freeze them, no cooking needed. Cut them into thin wedges and place on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Once frozen, empty the cookie sheet into bags, seal and keep frozen until needed.
Where to Buy
Jersey peaches are sold in supermarkets, boutique food stores, farmers markets, and roadside stands. Some farms offer “pick-your-own,” a special treat for kids. “Pickers” go out to the orchards by wagon and are turned loose among the trees. Other growers sell their own peaches in their farm stores and roadside stands. Still others take their crops to farmers markets across the state.
Many farmers markets hold special “Peach Party” days, with peach samplings and other special “peachy” activities and treats. Some hold peach pie or cobbler contests for amateur bakers. Winners of these contests are divided into north and south Jersey, each group going on to compete for two “grand prizes” of $300 each. Recipes are then posted on the jerseypeaches.com website.
More than Dessert
The favorite fruit of summer, fresh peaches are perfect in pies, cobblers and cakes (try peach upside down cake, see website www.jerseypeaches.com, recipe section). They also make tasty frozen treats, and can be blended into frozen peach crushes, like sherbet. Add a bit of cinnamon and a touch of sugar, or thin with orange juice or peach nectar – fit for the gods!
But peaches are no longer considered just dessert. Restaurants are using them in salads, cooked with meats, grilled, made into hot or cold soup. Possibilities are endless, and each medium peach contains just 60 calories, zero cholesterol or fat of any kind, and are loaded with nutrients: potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, magnesium, and fiber. For great, guiltless eating, try a peach!
For information on where to buy, where to pick and recipes, go to the New Jersey Peach Promotion Council website, www.jerseypeaches.com and follow links to individual farms. Weekly “Peach Days” at farmers markets are posted every Tuesday on facebook.com/newjerseypeaches
Source: New Jersey Peach Promotion Council
