Popular Ontario varieties in ripening order include Harrow Diamond, Garnet Beauty, Early Redhaven, Redhaven, Vivid, Loring, and Harrow Beauty.

Buying and Storing

Look for fruit that’s relatively firm, with a smooth skin, sweet aroma, and clear peach background colour. Avoid wrinkled skin or a greenish tinge at the end, or excessively soft, bruised, or blemished fruit. Early peaches, such as Early Redhaven, are best eaten fresh. Mid season and late varieties are best for cooking or preserving. They’re also superb for eating fresh. Keep peaches, still fairly solid to touch, at room temperature out of direct sun until ripening begins and their skin yields slightly to gentle pressure. Ripe peaches should be kept refrigerated in a single layer for no longer than five days. Overripe (extremely soft) peaches should be used, fresh, or in cooking, at once.

Preparing

Gently rinse under running water. To make peeling easier, first briefly immerse in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds. To keep sliced peaches from browning, toss lightly in lemon juice or dip in an ascorbic acid solution. Sliced peaches may also be frozen. Fresh peach ice cream and peach pie are perennial favourites. Peaches are often used in cobblers, crisps, or gently cooked with brown sugar. They are also preserved, made into jam, baked, steeped in red wine, poached in Champagne, brandied, or made into peach Melba. Peaches are also delicious in main course salads or as a topping for breakfast cereals, pancakes or waffles.

Nutrition

One medium-size peach contains 37 calories and is a source of vitamin C.

History

Archaeologists have found bowls of peaches, revered as a potent symbol of immortality, entombed with Chinese dignitaries several centuries before Christ. The peach is likely native to that part of China near the Pakistani border where it still grows wild. The Latin name for peach means “Persian plum” because the Romans imported it from Persia (now Iran) some 2,000 years ago. In the New World, peaches date back to the 1500’s, brought first to Latin America by early Spanish colonists. Peach trees flourished in temperate parts of Canada almost from the time of the first European settlement.

RECIPES

Spiced Chicken with Peach Chutney
Peach Chutney
500 g (1 lb) peaches, peeled and thinly sliced (4 medium)       125 mL (1/2 c) packed brown sugar
125 mL (1/2 c) finely chopped red onion                                  75 mL (1/3 c) cider vinegar
50 mL (1/4 c) lemon juice                                                        1 clove garlic, minced
5 mL (1 tsp) chopped ginger root                                              5 mL (1 tsp) chopped green chilies
Spiced Chicken
20 mL (4 tsp) dried oregano                                                     15 mL (1 tbsp) minced garlic
15 mL (1 tbsp) vegetable oil                                                     4 mL (3/4 tsp) fennel seeds
4 mL (3/4 tsp) ground cinnamon                                                4 mL (3/4 tsp) chopped green chillies
4 chicken breasts (about 175 g (6 oz) each)

Peach Chutney: In a saucepan, bring ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. With slotted spoon, remove peaches
and set aside. Simmer liquid until reduced to thick syrup. Return peaches to saucepan and return to boil. Remove from heat. Cool.
Spiced Chicken: Preheat barbecue or oven. In a small food processor, combine ingredients for spice mixture; process until smooth. Lift up skin from chicken but do not remove. Spread spices on chicken and replace skin. Let stand for 30 minutes. 

Barbecue on greased grill for about 35 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Or bake on greased baking sheet in 200ºC (400ºF) oven. Remove skin before serving with Peach Chutney.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving
Calories 341             Fat 8 g             Dietary Fibre 2 g

Peach Cobbler
Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF) 2 L (8”) square baking dish, greased 

Filling
1 can - 796 mL (28 oz) sliced peaches, drained, reserving 125mL (1/2 c) juice
25 mL (2 tbsp) granulated sugar                     10 mL (2 tsp) cornstarch
5 mL (1 tsp) lemon juice 
Topping
250 mL (1 c) biscuit baking mix                       0.5 mL (1/8 tsp) ground nutmeg
75 mL (1/3 c) milk

Filling: Place peaches in 2 L (8”) square baking dish. In a bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch; whisk in reserved peach juice. Stir in lemon juice. Pour mixture over peaches. Set aside.
Topping: In a medium bowl, combine baking mix and nutmeg; stir in milk to form a sticky dough. Drop dough by the spoonful on top of peach mixture (not all the filling will be covered). Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. 

Makes 6 servings

Per serving
Calories 158                 Fat 3 g             Dietary Fibre 1 g

Peachy Upside-Down Cake
Here’s a great way to add fibre to your diet. This cake keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The fruit and carrots in this recipe are a great source of vitamin A as well as other vitamins and minerals. The whole-wheat flour and high-fibre bran cereal contribute to dietary fibre.

Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF)

23 cm (9”) round cake pan lined with wax paper
1 can - 398 mL (14 oz) sliced peaches, drained OR 500 mL (2 c) sliced peeled fresh peaches
75 mL (1/3 c) soft butter or margarine                  175 mL (3/4 c) lightly packed brown sugar
3 eggs                                                                375 mL (11/2 c) grated carrots
175 mL (3/4 c) whole-wheat flour                         300 mL (11/4 c) high-fibre bran cereal
5 mL (1 tsp) baking powder                                  2 mL (1/2 tsp) baking soda
2 mL (1/2 tsp) ground cinnamon                          175 mL (3/4 c) raisins

Drain peach slices thoroughly on absorbent paper. Arrange in bottom of 23 cm (9”) round cake pan lined with waxed paper. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in grated carrots. In a second bowl, combine flour, cereal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and raisins. Bake in preheated oven for about 35 minutes or until tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Let stand for 30 minutes before turning out onto serving plate. Serve warm or cold.

Makes 10 servings 

Per Serving
Calories 251                 Fat 8g             Dietary Fibre 6g

WANT MORE INFORMATION? 

Foodland Ontario - Facts on Peaches. 

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