The Absolute Best Time Of The Year To Buy Fresh Peaches

Like Bowser from the animated "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," we're also madly in love with peaches! After all, they're refreshingly sweet with a hint of acidity that adds the perfect amount of tartness to every bite. Plus, they're extremely versatile. The absolute best way to use fresh, ripe peaches is to add them to summer staples like lemonade and ice cream. The U.S. also grows more than a billion pounds of peaches each year. Since most peach trees produce flowers in the spring, those flowers usually turn into mature fruit between June and August. So, the best time of the year to buy peaches is in the summer between June and August, which is National Peach Month. However, the exact months depend on the state the peaches are grown in.

Peaches are grown in 33 states and each state's peach season starts and ends at slightly different times. In Southern states like Texas and Georgia, peach season usually starts in May and ends in August. Yet, Florida's season starts as early as March and concludes in June, and Idaho's season begins mid-summer in July and extends until September. The shortest peach season occurs in New Jersey and it runs from July to August. So, you can technically get peaches as early as March or as late as September. 

Of those states, only three harvest the most peaches. You'll be surprised to know Georgia isn't number one. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, California harvested 475,000 tons of peaches, while South Carolina harvested 67,400 tons, and Georgia harvested 24,800 tons in 2022. Before you run out and buy this beloved fruit, there's a few things you need to know to enjoy the absolute best peaches every summer.

To choose the juiciest, sweetest peaches, you need to rely on three key senses: sight, touch, and smell. Your sense of smell will draw you to the ripest peaches. All you have to do is follow the alluring fragrance that ripe peaches release into the air. If your peach has a powerful yet divinely sweet odor, that means it's ripe. Unfortunately, if you don't smell anything at all, your peach isn't ripe yet.

Like apples and avocados, a simple squeeze test will tell you whether or not your peaches are ready to be enjoyed. A ripe peach should be soft enough that it feels vaguely squishy under your fingers. However, if it's so soft that your fingers immediately pierce through the skin, your peach is overripe and a few days away from being thrown out.

Since the U.S. primarily sells yellow peaches, you should seek out peaches that have beautiful hues of yellow and red. The most useful rule you need to choose the perfect peach is to examine the stem. If you notice any green spots on or near that area, you should refrain from buying that peach because it hasn't reached its full potential. However, if that stem area is brown, that means it's perfectly ripe and ready to be devoured on its own, or in a dessert or drink.

Don't forget, it's okay if your peach has superficial flaws. In fact, wrinkled skin on a peach is a great sign that it's ripe. These wrinkles indicate that the fruit's high water content has started to evaporate. And this process creates a succulent bite that's flavorsome and incredibly sweet.