Over the years, we’ve done a lot of pick-your-own fruits.
Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and apples are ones we like to pick ourselves at least once a year. Nothing against the containers you can find at fill-in-the-blank of your favorite farmstand, but there’s nothing quite like going out in a field/orchard and deciding exactly which fruit you’re going to bring home. You almost feel like a farmer in some sense.
But one fruit we had never hand picked before was peaches. Up until last year, we didn’t even know it was an option in Concord, but lo and behold, Carter Hill Orchard offers the opportunity to peruse its trees and decide what size and shape you want.
Unfortunately, because the winter of 2015-16 was so wonky, a warm spell followed by sub zero temperatures in February killed the entire crop. We’re talking not a single peach grew.
So we had to wait an entire year for a chance at a new pick-your-own experience, but it was worth the wait. Carter Hill opened its pick-your-own peaches during the third weekend of August, and once we saw that, we couldn’t wait to grab a bag and get out among those trees.
But since we had never done it before, we made sure to ask many questions of Carter Hill owner Rob Larocque before embarking on our new adventure. He told us you don’t want to – under any circumstances – pick a green peach. The goal is to have a nice mixture of red and yellow with a strong orange background.
If its too on the green side, it just won’t have that lovely peach taste when it does ripen.
“Its got to be that yellow background turning orange to taste like a peach,” Larocque said.
You also want to remember that picking a peach is not like picking an apple. You don’t want to pull down on the tree, but rather turn your selection and pull up. That way it doesn’t damage the tree or your fruit.
Armed with all the knowledge we’d need, we grabbed an apple bag and went in search of the best half dozen peaches we could find. And as it turns out, we’re pretty good at this peach picking thing – at least according to Larocque.
If you pick them at the right time, all you need to do is leave them on your kitchen table overnight and your peaches will be ready to eat. It worked for us.
If you pick a lot and want to spread out the enjoyment, leave them in your fridge until you want it to ripen.
The peaches are $2.25 a pound and a full bag will run you about $10 to $15. Happy picking!
