FOOD NEWS
The Most Important Things To Look For When Buying Peaches
By Cynthia Anaya
Fruits like grapes and strawberries are known as non-climacteric fruits, meaning that they don't continue to ripen after being picked, but peaches do continue to ripen after being harvested, so they fall in the climacteric fruit category. Because of this, there are a few ripeness indicators that you should consider when you go peach shopping.
A ripe peach typically appears golden yellow and reddish in color, while light yellow with green means it’s unripe, and dark colors and spots indicate it’s overripe. Another method of finding the perfect peach involves smelling it, as a ripe and ready-to-eat peach will give off a sweet fragrance.
One final thing to consider when shopping for peaches is firmness. Squeeze the peach gently with your fingers to check its firmness — it will feel hard if it was picked prematurely, but if it’s too soft, it’ll bruise or puncture when you press it. A perfectly ripe peach should feel almost like a small balloon filled with water when you squeeze it.