By Terry Rector

One of the drawbacks of a modern, convenience-oriented lifestyle is it has become nearly impossible to buy a ripe peach. I mean a truly tasty, juicy ripe one.

Folks, peaches will not continue to ripen once plucked from the tree.  Apples will. Pears will.  Plums will, a little.

In our computer age anybody can put anything out there for all to read. I just got through reading numerous blogs with instructions for ripening peaches that are too “firm.” But I noticed the Do-It-Yourself ripening instructors did not include horticulturists, university researchers or peach orchardists. Most of the online advisors had their peach ripening how-to listed right along with all sorts of culinary and kitchen tidbits.  Some of them did rightfully point out the reason store peaches are so “firm” is because tree-ripened ones would not hold up for shipping, warehousing, handling and display. So peaches destined for supermarkets are picked a tad short of ripe.

And they stay that way.

True, “firm” peaches will soften some, either in a paper bag trapping natural ethylene or just sitting on the counter at room temperature. The terms “soften” and “ripen” are not synonyms here.

Fruit species are not at all equal when it comes to ripening and what humans can do to influence ripening. Based on the time of year, apples in the produce section can be a couple of weeks off the tree on up to a year old. That’s why we find apples to purchase year round.

The growers and merchandizers of apples have developed a system whereby post-harvest ripening can be slowed, stopped, restarted, and finished in order to have a ready supply for months to come. The system involves waxing apples to prevent moisture loss, temperature control, holding them in storage with very little oxygen, and using a gaseous compound that temporarily prevents natural ethylene from being produced. This technique comes with FDA approval, registration and inspection.

It works because apple ripening can be manipulated after harvest. Pears too, but just for a short while. The peach species doesn’t work that way.

People who remember eating great fresh peaches will likely recall the fruit came off their family’s peach tree or from a peach orchard within driving distance.

Some farmers’ markets offer the possibility of fresh peaches, but only in locales where somebody is growing them to sell.

I can say I once grew good peaches back when the fruit tree hobby preceded the current rose one.

And peaches can be grown here by those who accept the fact that a peach tree is a pest magnet. Not merely one fungal disease or one caused by bacteria is routine on peach trees.  There’s a bunch of them.  Ditto for insects; aphids, scale, fruit worms and stink bugs are there most years, plus trunk borers can actually kill trees.

And I know of nothing to spray to efficiently prevent losses to birds, squirrels and raccoons.

As for kitchen peach ripening, remember somebody somewhere first said you could kill fire ants with grits.

Terry Rector is spokesman for the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District.