Premium Stone Fruit Varieties

These premium peach and nectarine varieties have been selected for superb flavor, diversity and, in most cases, availability.

Peaches:

* Baby Crawford. Seedling from Phil Adrian’s orchard in Escalon, Calif.; tested at UC Davis and discarded, then adopted and named by Andy Mariani in the 1980s. Small to medium; golden yellow skin with slight blush; freestone; golden orange flesh, juicy, with intense, classic peach taste. Planted by collectors and a few artisanal growers.

* Honey-type: Eagle Beak and Pallas. Honey peaches are native to southern China. Pallas: seedling of Honey originated by L.E. Berckmans, Augusta, Ga., 1878. Small to medium, oval; thick, pale white or greenish white skin, occasionally blushed with red; freestone; white, aromatic flesh, exquisitely juicy and tender, honey-sweet, low-acid but rich in flavor. Eagle Beak: introduced 1937. Small, oblong, with a pronounced beak; greenish white skin blushed with carmine; freestone; white flesh, juicy and tender, very sweet with a hint of bitter almond flavor. Both are collector’s items.

* Indian Blood. Red-fleshed peaches are recorded from early 17th century France; the Spanish brought them to America, where Native Americans and colonists grew seedlings. There are two types, called Indian Blood Cling and Indian Blood Free. Medium to large; gray-green skin covered with mottled red; fuzz long, coarse; blood-red flesh, sometimes white at the center, tough and meaty, with distinctive raspberry flavor and aroma. In small-scale commercial production; traditionally used for pickling, freezing, peach ice cream.

* Nectar. Stanwick crossed with unknown peach; introduced by Oliver Blackburn, Bakersfield, 1935. Medium to large, round-ovate; cream-colored skin with a pink to red blush; freestone; white flesh tinged with red, juicy, very soft and melting, sweet, aromatic, often with a strong vinous flavor. Occasionally found at farmers markets and farm stands.

* Rio Oso Gem. Possibly a seedling of J.H. Hale; introduced by William Yerkes, Rio Oso, Calif., 1933. Large, round to slightly elongated, often with a prominent suture; yellow skin with red blush; freestone; yellow flesh, with firm, dense texture, and a distinctive orange flavor. Superb when grown in the Sacramento Valley and Sierra foothills. A few patches of commercial orchards remain.

* Silver Logan. Parentage unknown; discovered by Mabel Logan, Cedar Ridge, Calif.; introduced 1965. Large, roundish; milky white skin blushed with crimson; freestone; white flesh, firm but melting, with rich, balanced flavor and a honey-like aroma. One of the best white peaches. Grown for farm stands, farmers markets and luxury trade.

* Stark Saturn (Donut). Pallas x (Golden Globe x [Early Hale x Peento]); Rutgers University, Cream Ridge, New Jersey, 1985. Medium size, flat, saucer-shaped; creamy yellow skin blushed with red; freestone; white flesh, melting, mild and sweet, low-acid. Best of the flat peaches (“peento”) originally native to southern China. Grown commercially as a specialty item.

Nectarines:

* Goldmine. Seedling, New Zealand, circa 1900. Small to medium; white skin with red blush; freestone; white flesh, sweet and excellent in Australia, but quality can be erratic in California. Low chilling requirement.

* Heavenly White. Parentage includes Lukens Honey, July Elberta and Babcock peaches; introduced by Floyd Zaiger, Modesto, 1982. Very large; creamy white skin with dark red blush; freestone; white flesh, very sweet and aromatic with complex flavor, excellent sugar-acid balance. At its best superb; but variable, and tends to crack. At farmers markets and farm stands.

* Panamint. (Babcock x Boston) x (Goldmine x Rio Oso Gem); introduced by Armstrong Nurseries, Ontario, Calif., 1952. Medium to large, round; skin mostly bright red; freestone; yellow-orange flesh, very sweet, intensely flavored, aromatic, with a hint of orange like its Rio Oso Gem grandparent. Low chilling requirement, adapted to inland Southern California.

* Rose (White Rose). (Le Grand x John Rivers); introduced by Fred Anderson, Le Grand, Calif., 1955. Medium to large; creamy skin with rosy blush; freestone; white flesh, juicy, very delicate, with rich flavor, more acidity than Snow Queen. At farmers markets and farm stands.

* Samarkand and Tashkent Gold. Two sibling varieties from Central Asian seeds brought to America by Andy Mariani, Morgan Hill, Calif., 1990. Small, round; shiny golden bronze skin; freestone (sweet edible kernel); golden flesh, with an intense apricot flavor and a smack of astringency. Collector’s items.

* Silver Lode. (Goldmine x Rio Oso Gem) x (Goldmine x July Elberta); introduced by Armstrong Nurseries, Ontario, Calif., 1951. Medium-sized; creamy yellow skin, about 75% red-blushed with red dots; freestone; greenish-white flesh, juicy, fine-grained, sweet. Low chilling requirement, adapted to warmer parts of southern California.

* Snow Queen. Seedling of unnamed peach; introduced by Armstrong Nurseries, Ontario, Calif., 1975. Medium to large, slightly oblong; creamy white skin blushed with red, often freckled with “sugar spots”; freestone; white flesh, dense, melting, juicy; flavor very sweet, rich, floral and complex. Grown for farm stands, farmers markets and luxury trade.

* Stanwick. Raised at Stanwick Park, England, from stones sent from Aleppo, Syria in 1843. Medium to large, round-oval; pale greenish white sin where shaded, purplish red where exposed to the sun; freestone (sweet, edible kernel); white flesh, tender, juicy, with intense, distinctive flavor, too strongly vinous for some palates. Once the leading dried nectarine in California, now rare even at farmers markets.