Peaches 2015

[scottfsmith]

Vohd, all of the honey type peaches have taken several years to get going. I almost pulled out Athena at some point in fact, the fruits were small and lacked flavor. Pallas is very similar to Athena.

@warmwxrules, Early Crawford is very good. I have really been enjoying them lately, I was thinking of taking the tree out since they were so small but its hard to do that to a tree producing so many tasty fruits. They are also not nearly as rot-prone as other things ripening now (the honey and red peaches in particular).

[alan]

Why does the size matter- too much skin?

My neighbor has a tree loaded with perfect and huge Coralstars that he grew with Surround and, I believe, no fungicides at all. The one he showed me was absolutely free of any blemishes. Last year they were blemished but sound- no brown rot issues. I can send you some wood if you want to try it. It’s got some acid with all that sugar.

[scottfsmith]

Why does the size matter- too much skin?

They are so small people don’t want to eat them. I end up eating nearly all of them myself, I guess I shouldn’t complain Along with the size the fruits are prone to mealiness. But as long as they are picked daily at the right stage there is no problem with that.

[mrsg47]

The Athena is beautiful! It looks as if it would taste good. I am so disappointed in my Early Crawford. I will be waiting for the ‘excellent’ taste regardless of size. But mine are the same size as yours Scott, just not ripe. I love obscure types of stone fruit and pome fruit, but they can be disappointing for sure. I am still hoping my Early Crawford’s taste will make up for its size. Netting my mirabelle de Metz today. They are very pretty too. Will take pics soon as they are just beginning to turn yellowl. Thanks for all of your help Scott.

[Olpea]

I had an Early Crawford yesterday and agree it was good. One of the better peaches lately was Baby Crawford. Early Crawford tasted a lot like Baby Crawford.

I’ve harvested Baby Crawford for a few seasons and this is the first year it was better than average compared to other peaches in that harvest window. I suppose it has something to do with all the rain/cloudy weather we had in the spring and first half of the summer. Perhaps Baby Crawford keeps its flavor better in that kind of weather.

PF 23 was really really good, but this is the first year I’ve harvested it. The fruit was small, but the trees were slightly over-cropped. This comparison is against some of the other varieties I’ve harvested lately (Glohaven, Loring, Bounty, Canadian Harmony, Gloria, Coralstar and Madison-which I just started harvesting)

It’s just one year, so my evaluation doesn’t mean much. It is strange how peach quality/flavor can vary so much year to year. For several years Blazingstar had a very sweet flavor, but this year there was nothing stand out about it, just average.

Lady Nancy has been a great white peach, but this year just OK. I’ve picked several Sweet Cap flat peaches (also a white peach) but have been picking them too early. They really need to sit on the tree until soft. I had one like that yesterday and it was an excellent white peach, as good as any white peach I’ve had this summer. Lots of flavor and sugar.

[mrsg47]

Thanks Olpea, for your comments on the Crawford peaches. Mine are still the size of ping pong balls, but oval and hard as rocks. They are just beginning to have a hint of pink on their skin. Maybe I’ll wake up one day and they will be real peaches, and hope they taste good too. Brown rot has been a real issue for the first time here in RI. We have had max. heat daily in the 80’s with 100 percent humidity. You cannot sit outside and relax with a slight breeze, until 6pm. My peaches are suffering. My Shui Mi Tao, honey water peaches are really growing now (full sized peaches). Five dropped of rot, two split in half and dropped. I am watching the tree carefully. It is now netted. I hope I get one!

[ConwayOrchard]

Had some assistance picking the last of the peaches for the season this morning. Ended up not being too bad of a total haul for third year trees.

[Olpea]

Too Cute!

The peach looks like it was picked pretty green, but with such a cute smile I’m sure all was forgiven

[ConwayOrchard]

@Olpea - it’s odd because it’s a free stone peach, soft, sweet and smells done. It’s just the color on the bottom of the peach that is not changing. I saw the squirrels prowling and made the decision to get her picking. Maybe I need to open the center of the tree to allow more light in?

Either way, it’s more of an exercise to get her interested in nature/farming. She loves it. And I have to admit those little hands do a great job!

[scottfsmith]

Pallas is often green when ripe. It took me awhile to get used to that. Nearly all varieties don’t taste good green but there are exceptions.

Do train them young! My kids are sunny day pickers - mostly when they have friends over. I started too late and I’m a softie to boot.

I have a whole tray of Early Crawfords now - great tasting peach! My only other yellow coming in now is O’Henry and its rotting very badly, worse than ever.

[mrsg47]

Two peaches!

[mrsg47]

Scott can you take a picture of your Early Crawford’s? Please. . . I’m dying to know what they are supposed to look like. Thanks!

[alan]

Olpea, so far the most flavorful and unique white peach I’ve had this season is TangO’s II. It tastes like a fruit punch. If you called it Fruit Punch Crunch people might embrace it as a crisp peach (or think it some really crazy looking apple) although it can be softened off the tree.

[scottfsmith]

Sure…

The banana is for scale… the other peach is a Pallas, its small but not super small like the Early Crawford.

@Olpea, I had really bad luck with Baby Crawford, it was a bad rotter and spotter.

[mrsg47]

Scott thank you so much that was really quick! Yep mine are the same size but still green. If they taste good I won’t mind about the size as it produces very well. How is your Shui Mi Tao. Mine is now netted. Lost many to bird pecks, then rot.

[scottfsmith]

How is your Shui Mi Tao

Its all finished now. Its a very good peach but is highly prone to rot and drop. Its not like the honey peaches that have been in the US for many years, it tastes more like a standard white peach.

[mrsg47]

Too much humidity. It’s got to be. Not enough dry air and cool evenings. They are still young, maybe we’ll have a good year next year?

[Matt_in_Maryland]

Here’s a photo of a Baby Crawford (1 of 2 my tree produced this year), picked last week. Teeny tiny:

Immediately took a bite:

Juicy, tangy, but not very sweet. Very fuzzy surface. Texture a little hard. Probably should have allowed to ripen more, but I was too impatient.

I left the other one on the tree to harvest later; it didn’t yield to the squeeze test. It’s bustin’ out of my wife’s panty hose:

I hope to pick this one on Monday when I can get back up to the property again…

[mamuang]

Thanks for the report, Scott.

I try not to think about peaches this year.
PF1 all had split pits and tasted very bland.
PF24 is ripening but 98% have some forms or another of bug damages. Autumn Star, not ripen yet but same deal re. Damages

There is always next year!

[alan]

I just finished a Winblo from a small tree not yet shaped up to produce best peaches (still a crowded central leader tree). There were maybe 25 on the tree but only about 5 positioned to reach highest quality and it was one of them. The fruit is medium sized and not highly colored for a modern peach (a plus for the home grower not seeking to attract birds).

What impresses me about the peach is its high sugar with acid that seems not evenly distributed throughout the peach creating a very interesting eating experience as one bite has a lot of sour in the mix with its prevalent high sugar and another bite mostly just sugar. The texture is pleasingly fibrous and the fruit extremely juicy (which I expect from a tree ripened peach in our climate). If the few fruit I’ve eaten from it are typical of the variety I can see why it is so highly rated for its flavor. Of course, such a young, small tree is not exactly a reliable representative but you can usually get a pretty good idea at this point.