If the journey from our farm to your home is going to take more than a few minutes, your peaches need to be kept cool in the car. If they are joining you for a road trip, ideally they would be in the air conditioning instead of the trunk, and out of the direct sun. Even just throwing a sweater over the box so that the sun isn’t beating down on the peaches helps a lot. Try to purchase your peaches immediately before your road trip so that they last the journey.

Once you are home, take your peaches out of their container and spread them out! This is a big deal. If they ripen in the box or basket, the weight of the top layers of peaches will bruise the bottom ones. Spread them out with the stem side up so you can keep a close eye on the ripeness. See our Peach FAQ’s for some tricks to know when they are ripe and ready to eat without using the squeeze test, which will bruise your peaches every time you try it.

The temperature will affect how quickly they ripen. If the room is warm, they will ripen faster; if you are trying to make them last, keep them cool or even in the fridge.

There is no doubt that peaches need a lot of TLC, but a perfectly ripened, well cared for peach is one of the tastiest treats around, and is absolutely worth the fuss!