Peaches in Winter?
 

My girlfriend really loves peaches. I’m okay with peaches, but being European and a trained chef, I’m highly attuned to the seasonality and quality of produce.

But she REALLY likes peaches.

This Christmas, with her being a teacher and me being unemployed and sick, we’re keeping it very small, but I would like to give her ONE gift that will be memorable and also not more junk that nobody needs.

Hence, my idea for winter peaches, and specifically, is it possible to acquire them from the Southern Hemisphere where if grown, they’d be in-season now?

One gift is better than none, and one memorable gift is better than ten Amazon boxes of future trash.

So I come to ask a fairly simple yet moronic question: is it possible to order fresh peaches in the US in December?

(the odd thing is, we can get all sorts of tropical fruit any time of the year, but peaches are somehow omitted by all the various online fruit companies I’ve inquired of about them)

cheers!

I don't think peaches ship well since they bruise easily & don't last long.

Peaches come from a can
They were put there by a man
In a factory downtown
If I had my little way
I'd eat peaches every day


(Good luck to the OP)

Afraid any fresh peaches you find during the winter months in the U.S. will be disappointing. Not the perfect alternative but a trained chef should be able to create a really nice baked desert from frozen peaches beautifully presented that would be very much appreciated. Frozen peaches picked at the perfect time will be much superior to peaches shipped from South America. I would at least consider an alternative such as I suggested. Put on your Toque and create a brilliant one of a kind dish.

It's a lovely thought - but I agree with those who have said peaches are highly seasonal. It's tough to get a superb peach in season and I think it's near impossible in winter.

true, but you CAN order them when in season here - so I would think that some sort of overnight box with padding and a coolant might work, from, say, Chile?

I guess the price would be exorbitant for that.

Perhaps you can do something fun with canned peaches, such as the 12 days of peach desserts?

- peach pie
- peach crumble
- peach crisp
- peach cobbler

Here's a list of 50 peach desserts:

https://www.tasteofhome.com/collecti...essert-recipe/

You can also do some savories, such as
- hot peach bbq sauce
- peaches and chicken

and so forth.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/collecti...peach-recipes/

Your gift would be the thought, the research, and the execution. I would be thrilled if my husband gave me such a gift - even if it was 3 or 4 peach dishes, and not the 12 I propose.

C'mon, man, you can't possibly quote that without the requisite YouTube link!


Love the random ninjas.

Best idea here, short of a trip to the Southern Hemisphere (where I'll be eating fresh summer stone fruit in a few weeks ;) )While the stone fruits generally "ripen" after picking, they sugar content is stuck in time at harvest date (way too green) and then they're often subjected to near-freezing temps at some point during the shipping process. So, there goes the taste, and then sometimes the texture.

A complete meal where peaches star in each dish. Sounds like a fun challenge

I just have to ask: How does she feel about Herb?

You're both right, I think that's what I'll do. At least desserts, because she hates savory foods with sweet ingredients.

Challenge accepted!


I remember watching this episode on The Food Network. It was awesome when the Iron Chef dismissed his staff.

If she feels about Herb, the OP may not be making any peach dishes for her ;) A nice pork chop with a savory peach sauce (with some garlic, rosemary, etc.) could be delish. But probably too sweet for the OP's GF, notwithstanding Herb.

Is it possible to have the essence of peach without the sweetness? Pork loin or chateaubriand sounds like possible protein choices that might lend themselves to a sauce or glaze of peach.

I have to agree with Corky. Peaches don't ship well. The ones we get up here out of season are usually unripe or overripe. That said, right now is on the tail end of peaches in a jar season (at least for Asian supermarkets). Great if you're a baker or dessert maker, but not so much if you're a fresh fruit fan.

Actually, I think this is a good idea. I don't think you could do much to a whole peach (or pieces) to make it savory without disgusting me, but a peach sauce doesn't need to be sweet at all. Pork is a good idea, and maybe duck too? Forget about being a trained chef, I might even consider taking on this challenge. I've seen peach mustards before, so maybe a sauce with peach and mustard?

Sounds lovely, hold the duck. I'd consider quickly toasting some mustard seeds in a bit of oil and adding it to the mix.

I’ve not tried these from Turkey, https://www.hamlemarket.com/sera-pic...n-brine-700-gr

but most years there is a one day stall in London’s Trafalgar Square during an annual festival where I am able to acquire pickled young peaches from Japan. This year I got a pack of 12, each encased in a fruit juice jelly.

Fresh peaches, typically flown in from South Africa or Zimbabwe, are easily available in England, but never like the ones I gorge on in Spain (fresh seasonal local peaches in Japan are also spectacular). We’re looking forward to breaking open our pack of pickled peaches, it’s a Christmas treat highlight.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b8b1a167d.jpeg

I wooed my peach adoring husband with peach crumble, it was one of the first things I cooked for him when we got to spend time together in England. If he or my daughter were to request a peach dessert at Christmas time I would ignore the imported fresh produce (really not up to par) and get the best possible canned peaches possible to use as a component of a Japanese style shortcake - just like the link below:

https://tomiz-com.translate.goog/rec..._x_tr_pto=wapp

There are other things you can use unripe peaches for. I've tried a variation of "goreng pisang" with peaches instead of banana. It does sweeten a bit as the sugars caramelize, but not a great amount as not all the sugars have formed yet. Some "puddings" work nicely with unripe peaches.... if you get them at the right time, dehydrated peach slices make a nice snack.

Overripe (soft) peaches is a bit different for me. If I have enough, I'll usually make a simple jam with them. Chunk up the peaches, take 90% and run them through a blender, add a bit of sugar and some gelatin (or agar agar) and let it set. Peach jam.

Difficult one for all the harvesting and transportation issues cited above. Even where I usually reside, the peaches that are transported from the orchards ~400-500 Km away are awful by the time they get to us by commercial transport. The ones transported privately and resold at $$ are only a little better. The septic tank person and his wife head up to the orchard area in their RV and canned the stuff up there. If they tried to take them home to do it (much less than a day's drive), the fruit will be past its prime.

You won't easily be able to get peaches through US CBP anyway if done by personal importation.

To make this topic FT, I remember a DL flight in the distant past when peaches were given out as the breakfast on a red eye. Those things were rock hard and could have been used as missile weapons.

I noticed this year my small, boujee grocer had peaches in July (middle of winter). I bought one without checking the price. They were AU$38/kg imported from the US. So they do exist counter-seasonally. From my sample size of 1 I can say that what others have said about them not travelling particularly well is right. Not poor quality at all, but similar to what I would expect in season from a supermarket. Certainly not worth the price.

Is there an Aldi store near you? This time of year they often have spiced peaches in jars which are quite tasty. Not the same as fresh peaches, but tasty.

They’re available most of the year here in London but, out of season, they don’t ripen and taste woolly.