Blessed Are the Peachmakers

The availability of ripe peaches is a bittersweet moment in Saucyland. One day it is all Gershwin and the livin’ is easy and then autumn sneaks up, especially here in the northwest where summer starts a little late and lingers on. Calendars matter little to the season here, but the appearance of fresh, local peaches mark the climacteric period of summer and things like warm, dry days are not to be taken for granted.

The peaches that I love, adore and think fondly of during the damp days of winter are Maryhill peaches. Grown in the sunny Columbia Gorge, the fruit travels about 100 miles from the east, crossing the river from Washington into Oregon. Even with the designation of most favored peach (MFP) and additionally factoring in that Seattle residents The Presidents of the United States lyrically referred to the fruit as nature’s candy – Washington isn’t really up there in terms of peach production: With only 2,600 acres (2-ish % of total US acreage) dedicated to growing the crop, making it improbable that there are millions of peaches and it is not theoretically possible those millions of peaches are for free, since the state values the crop at about 10 million USDs annually.

Georgia may be the Peachtree State, but it lags behind South Carolina and California in terms of overall production. California is again the winner, growing about 50% of fresh peaches and as a state they pretty much rule the processed peach market. 97% of jams, concentrates (think baby food or fruit in the yogurt container), frozen and canned peaches are produced in Callie.

The USDA lumps Peaches and Nectarines together for tracking purposes (Ballpark figure: nectarines account for about ¼ the total crop). In 2006, peaches were a ½ billion dollar crop and each US resident averaged 8.1 lbs of peaches/nectarines. Roughly speaking -

• 4 ½ pounds of those were consumed fresh.
  
• 3 of those 8 pounds came from a can.
  
• A little under a ½ pound were previously frozen.
  
• Less than a 1/4 pound were preserved in a dried state.
  

Until 1978 people ate more canned peaches than the fresh kind and although consumption is down from the high water mark of 1980, when the typical US resident consumed 13.1 pounds of peaches each, at least we have the canned versus fresh thing figured out.

Peaches are native to China despite the taxonomic classification of Prunus persica. Less botanically and more practically - peaches are classified either freestone or clingstone. This binary designation marks whether the fruit sticks to the pit or not: Also, this grouping indicates how the fruit will be sold in the market – freestones whose flesh breaks easily from the pit are meant to be eaten fresh, while the clingstones are grown pretty much to live in a can. In the last 10 years growers and purveyors have marketed white, yellow, donut (the shape, not the texture) peaches as well as attempting to brand some varietals such as Gold Dust, Spring Lady and Flavorcrest with less success.

As a cousin of almonds, any form of baked peaches taste better with amaretto, almond extract or toasted almonds cooked along side them. Peaches are good with brandy, less good distilled into it and completely wasted in the form of schnapps. I have no idea how one earns the classification of Diva, but 3 different books described Nellie Melba, the woman who put the Melba after Peach as a Diva, although I doubt any of the authors knew her well enough to make that assessment. Unless of course one becomes a Diva when there is a dessert named after you - Holy crap, Cherry/Jerry Garcia is a Diva.