It is National Peach Month. That means peaches are ripening. If you have a peach tree, how do you tell when the peach is actually ripe, almost ripe, or too ripe? Peaches do not actually ripen on the tree. When is the best time to gather the fruit? Well, use your senses. Here are four easy tips to guide you in the fresh fruit process.
Nose
A ripe peach smells like sunshine and peach. Fresh and delicious, the aroma captures your attention as soon as you enter a room.
Hand
A ripe peach will feel slightly soft. This is not rock hard, nor is it mush. If it is hard, it may require another day or two to finish ripening.
Eyes
A ripe peach will not look green. Rather, it looks pink, red, orange-ish. If it is green, leave it on the tree to continue ripening. Watching wildlife also gives you clues as to the ripeness. Birds and raccoons will not bother underripe fruit. But just as it is getting to the perfect stage of harvesting, a four-legged night creature will come and steal away your long-awaited harvest. Watch the birds in the day. They will begin to take stabs at your fruit when it ripens.
Tongue
Tasting the actual peach will tell you if it is ripe. A mature fruit will be juicy and full of flavor.
These suggestions are brought to you by Stark Bro’s found here in Missouri. The nursery has a field of experts in a variety of plants.
