Bringing fruit home from the grocery store can make for a delicious snack. Read here to learn how to enjoy ripe peaches and use them in recipes.
Peaches have a uniquely sweet flavor with a hint of tang that makes them a favorite fruit for many. If you're like many people, you may wonder how you can add more fruits and veggies to your meals. One challenge that many people face is knowing when their produce is ripe and ready for eating, especially because peach season doesn’t run all year long.
You don't want to pick out peaches too early, and you also don't want to let your fruit sit for too long and spoil. Is there a way to enjoy perfectly-ripe peaches? Keep on reading! We'll show you how to pick a terrific peach and use this fruit in tasty recipes.
How To Choose a Perfect Peach
One of the steps to savoring a tasty peach is knowing how to pick them out in the produce aisle.
First, you'll want to look at a peach's color to evaluate its tastiness. If it's vibrant and colorful, you've got a flavorful peach on your hands. If it looks less saturated or green, it's likely more bland and unripe. A green peach isn’t going to give you that sweet flavor you’re looking for.
How To Tell When a Peach is Ripe
Perhaps you bought some peaches at the grocery store, and you're wondering when they'll be ready to eat or use in a recipe. When testing a peach, pick it up and gently squeeze it near where its stem used to be. If it's soft, that's a sign that your peach is ripe and ready to go. If it's rock-hard, it's less ripe and will be crunchier on the inside.
Hard peaches won't be easy to bite into. However, more firm peaches can still make tasty, crunchy additions to salads. It's up to what you like, at the end of the day!
How To Easily Ripen Peaches
Many people enjoy soft, juicy peaches rather than firm, unripe peaches. If you brought home peaches that still feel firm to the touch, you don't have to wait days for them to be ready. Let's check out the fastest way to ripen your peaches and savor them sooner.
- Grab a brown paper bag and lay it on its side on your kitchen counter.
- Next, arrange your underripe peaches shoulder side down, inside the bag, so that the bottoms are facing up at room temperature.
- Ensure the peaches don't touch each other inside the bag.
- Fold the top of the bag closed and wait 24 hours.
After 14 hours have passed, evaluate your peaches for smell and color. The ethylene gas emitted should cause your peaches to be more vibrant and smell more peachy than when you put them in. The best part? This works for other stone fruits like plums and even avocados, too.
How To Stop the Ripening Process
Once your peaches are soft and ready to eat, you may want to stop their ripeness from going any further. To halt the process, put your peaches in the fridge uncovered. You especially want to make sure they’re out of direct sunlight.
They'll remain as ripe as they are for around three days before they begin to dry out and become mealy.
Best Ways To Use Overripe Peaches
Let's say you accidentally let your peaches get overripe. It happens to the best of us. Rather than throwing out mushy peaches, there are a few ways you can use them. Let's take a look!
- Make a tasty peach jam.
- Use the peaches in southern sweet peach tea.
- Bake a mouth-watering peach pie.
- Make peach fruit bars.
- Add peaches to top savory dishes.
- Enjoy a peach smoothie.
- Try grilled peaches.
.jpg)
.png){kind=icon}
.svg)
.svg)
