How to Pick a Ripe Peach

Regardless of if you’re shopping at the supermarket or a local farmers market, picking the best peach can be difficult. It may be hard to tell which ones are ripe and ready to eat, and which ones should take a few more days to ripen, but with these tips, you can be picking produce with the best of them.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Examine the color. It should have a great reddish blush all around. If there is a greenish tinge, it’s not ripe. By that same token, a yellow glow is acceptable.

2. Use your sense of smell. It should have a rich, aromatic scent.

3. Make sure the peach is firm, but not too firm. Press the peach: If it has just a little give when gently pressed, it's ready! Peaches at this stage are great for eating, freezing and baking.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't "smush" it to test the ripeness. This bruises it, and for the person who gets this peach, there will be a thumb-sized spot that is softer than the other part of the fruit.
• When shopping at a farmers market, it’s best to ask the farmer, just for good measure. The farmer and his family are the ones who picked the fruit and vegetables for your consumption just prior to the market, so they will know which ones they picked for "ready-to-eat" from others that will take a few days to ripen.