Peaches - Facts and Recipes


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Peaches: Luck, Abundance, Protection

by Diana Serbe

Do I dare to eat a peach?" T.S. Eliot

In China, where peaches originated, the peach has mystical attributes, and supposedly brings luck, abundance and protection. Originally growing in North China in areas of erosion and overgrazing, peaches became a symbol of fertility and of affection. Peaches were reproduced in porcelain and sung about in verse. Dumplings shaped like peaches were special for birthdays. Even the wood of the peach tree was carved into amulets. Today, brides in Japan and China carry peach blossoms, just as American counterparts would carry orange blossoms, and peach blossoms are used to celebrate the New Year. Perhaps T.S. Eliot was right in questioning if he dare eat so mystic a fruit.

History of Peaches

Once discovered, these wild Chinese peaches traveled widely and developed into many strains. The Romans called the peaches "Persian Apples" naming them after the country that introduced peaches to the West. Writing about peaches in the first century, Pliny mentions several varieties, and states that they were introduced to Persia from Egypt, not a peach producing country today. France took peaches, in all their varieties, to its heart, and gave the fruit feminine names, an association of peaches and the female that continues to this day, most likely based on beauty. Among the named varieties were Belle de Vitry, Belle de Chevreuse and Téton de Vénus or 'nipple of Venus'. Although the Chinese had pioneered growing espaliered peaches, the French discovered this method independently, and the growers in Montreuil, a Paris suburb, claimed this as their secret to producing the best peaches. Louis XIV loved peaches so much that he awarded a pension to the man who provided him with peaches from Montreuil.

The peach spread to the New World on Spanish explorers' ships. Several tribes of Native American Indians were particularly fond of peaches, and cultivated them assiduously. In Pennsylvania, William Penn wrote that there was "not an Indian plantation without them." It is probable that the spread of peaches was due to the Native Americans. Thomas Jefferson planted peaches at Monticello in 1802. In the varied climate of America, peaches first found a home in the southern states that had enough warmth to give them ideal growing conditions. Georgia was named "the Peach State" for its abundant output. But peaches traveled up the eastern seaboard, and when 'go west, young man' sent thousands of youths trekking across the country, dried peaches were part of the journey. The gold rush was on, the population of California swelled, and the demand for peaches outweighed their availability. In what was then the tent city of Sacramento, a can of peaches cost $5.00. But it was there in Sutter County that two farmers, A. F. Abbott and Joseph Phillips, developed a variety of cling peaches that led to canning as the clingstone holds both texture and flavor. A turn of the century San Francisco landmark, the Cannery, today used as a waterfront marketplace, was once the largest peach cannery in the world. Today California is the major producer of peaches, followed by South Carolina and then Georgia.

Never ask where the best peaches come from. A southerner will claim his state, a New Jerseyite will grow teary-eyed thinking of white Jersey peaches, while the great agricultural areas of California will grow indignant and claim the ideal weather conditions exist in California. There is one caveat, however, and that is that there are no peaches quite as good as the ones picked ripe and sold at a roadside stand. These are summer memories, but in winter we have canned peaches, and the good news is that their nutritional value remains high.

Care and Handling of Peaches

There are two basic types of peaches. One is the clingstone. As the name implies, the flesh clings to the stone. The chances are that you will never buy a fresh clingstone peach, as the canning industry takes them ripe from the fields and processes them within 24 hours of picking.

The other variety is the Freestone, which can be loosened from the pit with relative ease. When selecting peaches, don't look at the blush on the sides, but direct your attention to the area close to the stems. Here is the tell-tale green or creamy yellow. Green indicates that they may have been picked too far before their prime to ripen properly, while creamy yellow holds the promise of that treat of treats.

Peaches are sensitive souls. They bruise easily, and should be handled with care. If they aren't ripe, store them in a paper bag, but please don't pile them on top of each other or, yes, those bruises will appear. If ripe, they may be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week depending on the degree of ripeness. For full succulence, bring them to room temperature and then enjoy both flavor and aroma.

To blanch peaches

Put peaches in a wire basket - the kind used for fried foods will do- and submerge in large amount of water at a rolling boil. When water comes back to the boil, blanch for five minutes from time water comes back to boil. Remove and immerse in cold water to stop cooking. When cook, peaches are easily peeled.

Nutrition in Peaches

A medium size peach has about 35 calories - a perfect snack or dessert just as is. Peaches are fine sources of Vitamin A as well as C and E. They are a good source of fiber. They are also rich in phytochemicals which act as antioxidants, ridding the body of free radicals. Phytochemicals are critical for healthy skin and can be thrown out of balance in the body by exposure to the sun's UV rays. Needless to add, peaches also count as part of nutritionists' recommended '5 a Day' plan of eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables.

Because of the speed of picking to processing, canned clingstone peaches are equally as nutritious as fresh peaches and are a great way to enjoy the sun-ripened flavor of summertime peaches all year long. And please buy American peaches which conform to the stringent standards both agriculturally and in their manufacture. Responding to the times, canned peaches today are packed in water, juice, light syrup or heavy syrup. Peaches packed in heavy syrup are sweeter and have more sugar and more calories.

Go ahead, dare to eat a peach.

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