Peaches are delicious fruits: they are juicy, sweet, aromatic and also real vitamin bombs. They taste best fresh from the tree, but with a simple trick you can also let them ripen.
How do you let peaches ripen?
To ripen peaches, place the unripe fruit in a paper bag, add a ripe apple and seal the bag. Store them in a dark, cool place and check the ripeness of the peaches every 24 hours.
Peaches that are harvested when fully ripe taste best
If possible, you should let peaches ripen on the tree, because only in this state can they develop their full aroma and their typical juiciness. Ripe peaches exude an intense scent, and the flesh gives way when lightly pressed. However, this rule does not apply to all peaches, as some varieties should be harvested when hard ripe and then ripen.
Peaches cannot be stored
Unfortunately, ripe peaches can only be kept for a few days before the rotting process begins. You can store the sweet fruits for a maximum of two or three days - if possible in the refrigerator - provided they were not damaged during transport. It is best to store peaches so that they do not touch each other. The fruits have a very high water content and are therefore extremely sensitive to pressure. You can easily use ripe peaches to make jam or compote, and some varieties can also be frozen.
Simply let unripe fruits ripen again
Sometimes, however, peaches have to be harvested unripe, for example due to unfavorable weather conditions - wet weather during the ripening period causes fruits to spoil quickly - or because of transport, e.g. B. from the supermarket home. Unripe fruits are hard and lack the typical peach aroma. To allow these fruits to ripen, follow these steps:
- Put the unripe fruits in a paper bag.
- A plastic bag is less suitable as it creates a humid climate that promotes rot.
- Pack a ripe apple. This releases ethylene and thus accelerates the ripening process.
- Close the bag with the fruit and place it in a dark, cool place.
- Check the peaches every 24 hours for the desired level of ripeness.
Ripe peaches exude the typical peach scent.
Further processing of peaches
Peaches can be processed in many different ways. The fruits taste great as jam, compote, fruit puree or as part of delicious desserts such as Peach Cardinal or Peach Melba.
Tips & Tricks
Please always throw away rotten peaches as the mold spreads invisibly through the flesh. However, you can eat brown spots without hesitation.