Searching for Great Peaches? Use Your
Nose
by Judy Silberstein
 ( July 30, 2002) The shoppers
are hovering cautiously over piles of fruit. The peaches
are white and pink, large and small, California or Jersey,
local or imports. Without sneaking bites from each variety,
how’s a shopper to find the luscious, juicy choice?
Peach connoisseurs know to close the eyes and use the
nose: peaches with potential smell like you want them
to taste.
Those beautiful, expensive imports are picked way before
their prime and rarely ripen properly. They’re
available almost year-round in Larchmont specialty markets,
but unless you’re composing a still life painting,
pass them by. You see round, fuzzless perfection, but
end up with a mouthful of mealy dry mush.
The fruit you want may be lovely – or not –
as long as it smells like a Georgian orchard. Don’t
be shy, hold a peach up to your nose and take a deep
whiff. If all you smell is Clorox from the over-active
cleaning crew, pass that fruit by. A real
peach perfume will be instantly recognizable, even if
the fruit is rock-hard and needs a few days on the counter
before you can eat it.
If you’re making pies or need one fruit for immediate
consumption, don’t overlook bruised or even smushed
peaches. The ugly-ducklings are often the most flavorsome,
once you lop off the bad spots. On Friday afternoons
in August, Farmer Dave Wengerd at the New
Rochelle Farmer's Market will sell you a bushel
of rejects for a ridiculously low price. Once you strip
off the blemished skins, you’ll usually find perfect,
peachy globes underneath. (See the Cook's
Corner Forum under "Desserts" for traditional
recipes and tips on peeling peaches.)
If it isn’t Friday, you’ll have the best
luck at New Rochelle’s Costco where the peaches
have been consistently luscious looking and tasting
for the past month. Just be sure to use your nose. The
lovely white variety has neither smell nor taste; the
California and local varieties have been winners.
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