The large-sized fruit varieties are grown mainly in the temperate regions of the world, where they find congenial environmental conditions for the healthy development of the plant and fruit.
The characteristic flavor of the peach is due to the effect of a rather complex mixture of substances upon the organs of taste.
Perception of the sugars, acid, tannins and astringent substances permits the formation of a judgments as to the ratio which these constituents bear to one another and consequently of the palatability of the fruit.
Fresh peaches should be fairly firm or becoming slightly soft. The skin color between the red areas should be red or at least creamy. The pulp is of a yellowish color, full of high-flavored juice; the fleshy part thick and the stone small.
Reddish color alone is not a sign of ripeness, but a mark of certain varieties. At home, peaches should be kept at broom temperature 3 or 4 days until fully ripe, then refrigerated.
Peaches are excellent when consumed fresh. They also have many culinary uses, mainly as desserts but also in pickling and in chutney and preserved in brandy.
The fruits are high in vitamins A and C and have fewer calories that apples and pears.
Fruit of Peaches (Prunus persica L. Batsch)
