Much of peach season was over some time ago. We still have a few here and there that are from the US, but most are imported now. There are still some good peaches from the later crop in cooler places like Washington and New York. Buying from Costco, Sam’s Club, etc. is doomed to failure - not only are those generally imported, but they’re picked to look great and travel long distance in refrigeration, which means pretty but unripe and hard as rocks, and they’ll never ripen to taste great.
Rules for good peaches:
- Know where they’re coming from. Anything that has traveled half the country or from out of the country is going to have been grown, picked, and handled to survive long travel, which means they’re doomed from the get-go on taste.
- Mass market in big bags like Costco, Walmart, Target, etc? Already a nope. Don’t even bother looking. Your best bet will be grocers where you can select individual peaches from a display. If it’s pre-bagged (unless you’re literally buying from a grower’s stand or a local grocery that’s buying from very local producers), walk away.
- If you’re seeing peaches (or nectarines) from a relatively close region that’s currently in season, sniff and feel them. No tempting scent? Hard pass. Yes, I know - from some stores, some years that will mean no peaches to buy at all. Are they either mushy or hard as rocks? Again, walk away.
You’re better off buying frozen peaches for cooking and baking, much of the time, if you have quality frozen fruit brands available. Yes, I know that’s just not the same. But, that’s where some of the best fruit winds up when shipping is not “practical” in this mass market. Teeny but intense blueberries, nice peaches that are judged to be unable to get safely to a store, decent strawberries that are considered too delicate to ship versus the nasty wooden ones that look great but wouldn’t be harmed if a truck rolled over… that all goes to the frozen market.
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