Peach season is pretty much done now. Through out August and into September, however, one finds fresh locally grown NJ and eastern peaches. I found them in the produce aisle of the local Stop & Shop. I really do not know where they were coming from but based on how ripe these peaches were, I think they really were local-from NJ and the general region,
This brings me to an all to obvious but true benefit of locally grown food. In short, the locally grown produce, whether it is peaches or anything else, is the ripest and tastiest. It is that simple. Fresh locally grown just allows fruit to ripen and be at its best.
Such fruit, ripened on the tree could not survive the long road trip from southern states, or California, much less South America. So farmers in such locales, shipping their fruit to places such as White Plains NY, harvest early. Fruit harvested before being ripe will make the trip-at least it will not be bruised. It allows us to have peaches, nectarines and other fruits through out the year.
That said, however, I have yet to figure out how to ripen such fruit. I have tried special ripening vats and putting the fruit in the direct sunlight and various other solutions. These solutions are pretty much worthless. The fruit remains rocky and then turns to mush. It seems to pass quickly from one to the other.
So come August and early September, I am looking for my peaches. They quickly disappear. When they do I might be tempted to try the peaches from other locales only to again be disappointed. That is the problem of locally grown. Fresh, ripe and sweet fruit and season come and go, but for that brief moment when I see those signs for NJ peaches, life is good. The only thing better would be to have a a peach tree or orchard next door.
