Peaches

This past weekend, my husband and I visited relatives in fruit belt country, the Niagara area and they gave us a basket of peaches, wonderful fruit. I had brought them one of my blueberry cornmeal breads which I had baked that morning for them. I am already planning to bake a few more and freeze them so that we can enjoy the berry season a little longer. My husband suggested that we try peach and blueberry crisp. When I did an Internet search for a recipe, I was astounded to find not just a couple but at least 100 variations on the recipe. I will certainly be making that this week before the peaches become too ripe and ready for compost.

I was surprised to find the peaches are not native to North America and originally came from China , they certainly thrive in the fruit belts. I can not imagine August without peaches. The article that I have included mentions putting peaches in a paper bag to ripen them. I have never found this necessary, they seem to ripen well on their own. My only regret is that I do not seem to be able to eat them fast enough, I want to know how to stop some of them from ripening so quickly.

Peaches are believed to be native to China. They are cultivated throughout warm temperate and subtropical regions of the world. In the peach fruit, the stone is covered with a fleshy substance that is juicy, melting, and of fine flavor when matured and mellowed.The popular division of fruit varieties into cling stones and freestones-referring to the relative tendency of the flesh to cling to the stone-is by no means accurate. These two classes merge in different varieties, and even the same variety may be freestone and cling stone in different seasons. The nearly 300 varieties of peaches grown in America have been classified into five races, each with outstanding characteristics, ripening season, and uses.The nectarine is a variety of peach. The principal peach-growing state is California. World production totaled about 5.5 million metric tons annually; the United States and Italy were the leading producers. How to Store:To ripen peaches, store in a brown bag at room temperature. Ripe peaches can be stored in the crisper bin of your refrigerator for up to five or six days. Nutritional Facts:· Fat-free· Saturated fat-free· Sodium-free· Cholesterol-free· High in vitamin A· A good source of vitamin C Detailed nutritional information can be found by searching the USDA Nutritional Database . Enter "Peach" (no quotes) as the keyword and select the link and report of interest. Scientific classification:The peach belongs to the family Rosaceae. It is classified as Prunus persica.