How to Ripen Peaches Picked Before Optimal Ripeness

Pick peaches a little early to prevent them from ripening too quickly.

Peaches purchased at the grocery store or farmer's market are often not quite ripe and extremely firm. The process of ripening peaches picked before optimal ripeness is a precise one. If you ripen them improperly, your peaches will bruise instead of softening and you might find them moldy before they are ready to eat. It helps if you purchase not-quite-ripe peaches to allow them to ripen on your terms, instead of having them quickly go bad.

Instructions

1. Decide when you are going to use the peaches. Peaches have a very short shelf life -- a week maximum in the refrigerator, and no more than three or four days at room temperature -- so plan on using them within that time frame.

2. Lay them on the counter or a shelf, on top of a linen or cotton napkin or towel. The peaches should be placed stem down and they should not be touching.

3. Lay another linen or cotton napkin or towel on top of the peaches. This creates a contained but not claustrophobic atmosphere for the peaches, which allows them to ripen while not becoming mealy or bruised.

4. Let the peaches ripen anywhere from three to seven days, checking them a couple times a day to monitor ripeness. If your kitchen is warm or the weather is humid, they will ripen more quickly. In a cool environment, ripening will take more time. The peaches are ready when they smell peachy and sweet and a gentle palm press reveals the fruit to be soft and unyielding. The stem side of the fruit, on which the peaches were resting, will also be flattened from the weight of the fruit, when ripened.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not squeeze the peaches at any point. Peaches have very delicate flesh and skin. Any squeezing can irreparably bruise them. In fact, bruising causes peaches to rot more quickly. A single bruise can quickly ruin a whole batch of peaches.

• If you can't use the peaches within the necessary time frame, you can freeze them for eight to twelve months.

• Peaches also ripen quickly in a brown paper bag -- one peach per bag -- although they should be watched carefully with this method. Peaches ripen most quickly in humid or warm conditions, and brown paper bag ripening intensifies both.

References

• University of Georgia: Harvesting and Handling Peaches
• Pick Your Own: Peach and Nectarine Facts, Picking Tips and Recipes
• Tall Clover Farm: The Best Way to Ripen Peaches
• Washington State University: When to Pick Tree Fruit
• Eating Well: How to Pick the 5 Best Ripe Summer Fruit
• Missouri Families: Peaches