Now Is the Right Time for Just Peachy Harvest

With more than 140 commercial varieties grown in California, consumers literally have their pick of the peach crop from May to October.

One of the peaks of this flavorful harvest occurs in mid-July; another, in mid-August. Like many other fruits, peaches originated in China, where they were considered a symbol of long life and immortality. Spanish missionaries brought the peach to California in the late 1700s. These days, the state leads the nation in peach production, with the yellow freestone peach the one most commonly found in supermarkets.

Jim Bathgate, a director of the California Rare Fruit Growers, grows peaches and persimmons in Valley Center. He constantly experiments with new seedling varieties to find just the right peach for his orchard.

“Southern California is not really premium peach-growing country, but selected varieties can do very well,” said Bathgate, who grows 20 varieties. Because of sequential plantings, he has ripe peaches available from May through September--sometimes as early as mid-April--although the weather will affect harvest by as much as a month.

The earliest to bloom in Bathgate’s orchard are the Springtime, the Tejon, the Florda Prince and the Desert Gold, all freestone peaches, meaning that the stone separates easily from the flesh. June offers the Gold and the Early Amber; July the Saturn. Under the right conditions, there is usually a span of 10 to 15 days to harvest fruit from any given variety.

The Ventura is a “low chill” peach usually ready for harvest in early July and well adapted to the Southern California climate. The Kim or July Elberta is better-suited to Southern California than the classic Elberto, which prefers cooler weather and a good winter chill.

Among Bathgate’s favorites is the medium-sized Gold Dust, “one of the tastiest peaches for this area. The medium to small fruit is sweet, and very tasty.”

A variety he expects to become an all-time favorite is a white peach still in the experimental stages. “Many white-fleshed peaches are quite bland, but not that one,” he said. The variety, which Bathgate is thinking of calling the Sunlee, after its parent stock, the Sundar, won’t be ready until September.

White peaches are also a favorite of Marty Warren, who grows them on his picturesque Trinity Ranch. The ranch figures among a handful of North County properties blessed with an on-site lake fed year round by springs and streams. The mountainous terrain along Highland Valley Road behind Rancho Bernardo climbs to 1,450 feet in certain areas, a cooler climate in which peaches tend to thrive.

“There’s a big demand for white peaches like the Babcock,” says Warren, who planted his orchard more than eight years ago. “And they’re so sweet and aromatic, you can smell them from afar.” The fruit is rarely found in supermarkets, however, because it is easily bruised, and must be tree-ripened to reach the peak of flavor. Warren also speaks highly of the Rio Oso, which comes off in late August. “The fruit is pointed and can get the size of a softball,” he said. Its production tends to be hit or miss, but it doesn’t have the undesirable habit of splitting--a trait evident in the Florida King, a variety that Warren will soon discontinue.

A thick grove of peach trees covers the Steeve Farm on Bear Valley Parkway in Escondido. The verdant orchard is relatively new. “My father cleared the brush off this land, and we used to play football on Bear Valley Road,” says long-time farmer Rolf Steeve. Rolf’s father dug the well which still irrigates the property. Eventually, Rolf sold the dairy his father started and turned the farm into an orange grove. It was Rolf’s son, Roger, who began growing peaches about 15 years ago. “I never cared much for oranges, so I started pushing peaches,” said the young, bearded grower. Today, Roger grows and sells eight different varieties, each one sweeter than the next. Inside a large cooler on the family farm, boxes of ripe Babkock peaches and luscious Santa Rosa and Greengage plums await market day.

Roger’s favorite peach variety is the rosy-skinned, white-fleshed, tennis-ball-sized Sam Houston. “It’s a variety that’s a little off the wall, but it’s the sweetest,” he said. To sell his freshly picked fruit, Roger commutes to five area farmer’s markets every week. “The faster we sell, the fresher our product,” he said. Careful handling of the fruit is necessary, since peaches bruise easily. Rolf compares the delicacy needed in handling peaches to “handling a stick of dynamite.”

Optimum storage for peaches is 32 degrees, and if possible, at 95% humidity, according to the California Tree Fruit Agreement. A peach is ripe when it gives slightly to palm pressure. Handle peaches gently to prevent bruising. (Blush is solely an indication of variety.) One pound of peaches is generally equal to 3 medium-size peaches.

Marty Warren, Trinity Ranch, 789-5845. Sells at Vista Farmer’s Market. Peaches 60 cents to 85 cents a pound depending on appearance.

Steeve’s Farm, 1401 Bear Valley Parkway, Escondido. 743-0344. Sells at Escondido and North County Fair farmer’s markets. Peaches $2 a quart basket.

Jim and Lee Bathgate, 2888 Pleasant Knoll, Valley Center. 749-3359. Sells through packing houses and farmers’ markets.

Olsson Family Farms, 15277 E. Mountain View Ave., Kingsburg, Calif. (209) 897-5110. Organically grown peaches available at Casady’s Whole Foods, 284 North El Camino Real, Encinitas, 436-3663; Community Market, 745 1st Street, Encinitas, 753-4632.