New Hampshire Peaches (and this Recipe) are Peachy Keen

At summer’s height, when the air is heavy and the apples are still busy growing, consider another, juicier, plumper local fruit: the peach. 

Apples remain the dominant crop that signal summer’s end and beckon the beginning of cozy sweater-weather season in New Hampshire. But if apples are a fall staple, then peaches are summer’s grand fruit finale, arriving as early as late July. 

This Southern belle, shrouded in a dainty fuzz, with swirls of reds, yellows, oranges and pinks and a juicy seam on
one side, comes bearing a message: Summer is fleeting. 

Since Georgia’s state fruit likes warmer climates, you might think local growers would have few, if any, peach trees, but farmers have made this stone fruit a seasonal rising star by using cold-hardy varieties. This also extends the growing season for farmers and the picking season for customers. 

“Orchards that grow peaches are trying to bring in the pick-your-own crowd earlier in the year, as apples are not quite ready to pick in July or early August,” says Ryan Wilson, owner of DeMeritt Hill Farm in Lee.

While peach season is “significantly smaller” than apple season, Wilson says the state’s proximity to the warm ocean makes the state a good environment for peaches. 

Giff Burnap of Butternut Farm in Farmington agrees that apples run the pick-your-own show in late summer, but that may be because customers aren’t aware the peach is an earlier option.

“The masses are more looking for farm visits in September than July and August. However, once we get a person to try peach picking, especially on a good day when there is abundant ripe peach juiciness dripping from the trees, it is an experience they will never forget and probably want to come back for,” Burnap says.

But if you want both, they can do that too.

“Late August through early September is a special time here at Butternut because both of these great fruits can be harvested during the same visit,” Burnap says.  

Wilson agrees that once customers discover that peaches here are simply ripe for the picking, they’re sold. Knowing that farmers grow unique varieties that you wouldn’t get in southern parts of the U.S. can also keep customers returning, he says.

“It’s always fun to surprise visitors to the farm when you tell them that you grow peaches.  Most people don’t believe it!” Wilson says.  

Kyle Chrestensen, owner of Mack’s Apples in Londonderry, says this year’s peach season is a can’t miss opportunity.

“We will have tons of peaches this year, and we’re really excited about the crop,” Chrestensen says.

Redhaven and Coralstar are among their best varieties. 

“Redhaven and Coralstar are both popular because they’re reliable in our climate, produce very flavorful fruit and have great texture — sweet, juicy, and ideal for both fresh eating and baking,” Chrestensen says. 

DeMeritt Hill Farm offers five winter-hardy varieties: Klondike White, John Boy, White Lady, Flamin’ Fury and Redhaven. Many are ready to pick weeks before apples have ripened. 

Mack’s Apples grows seven peach varieties beginning in mid-July.

“We’re especially known for our large, incredibly flavorful peaches, including favorites like Redhaven and Coralstar. Customers consistently tell us they’re some of the best they’ve ever had,” Chrestensen says. 

Butternut Farm grows up to 25 peach varieties and four nectarine varieties, letting the farm stretch out its peach season for several weeks, Burnap says.

“Our earliest to ripen are ready around July 25, and the last are ready the middle of September. There are ripe peaches everywhere in between, so we have a seven-week picking window,” Burnap says.

Butternut Farm’s biggest stars are Redhaven, Coralstar, Klondike White, Saturn, Fantasia (a nectarine), Canadian Harmony and Glohaven, “my personal favorite,”
Burnap says.

Wilson says Redhaven peaches are good for baking in pies, while John Boy and Flamin’ Fury (Wilson’s favorites) are good for snacking.

“They have the right balance of sweetness,” Wilson says. 

But anything you choose will work out fine in a recipe or in your hand.

Short of biting into it, growers had unique takes on what customers should look for when picking a peach.

A larger, plumper peach that is “like a softball,” can indicate it’s in its final stages of ripening, while smaller, firmer peaches, “like a baseball,” may need more time on the tree, Burnap says. 

When holding a peach, Wilson says it should feel “like the flesh has a little softness to it.”

But not too much softness — they have to be just right. 

Wilson agrees color is one of the first things to look for in a ripe peach.

“Look at the part of the peach that is not getting sunlight. Go for the peach that is a nice yellow in color. Avoid fruit that is too firm and too soft. You won’t get the flavor you are expecting,” Wilson advises.

Burnap says the “background” color of the peach is another juicy clue. 

“During the final week of ripening the back side of the peach will turn from grass green to a pleasant yellow. It’s that yellow backside of the peach that is a great indicator. We tell our customers to look for plump size with a yellow back side,” Burnap says.

“People should look for a full background color change (no green undertones), a little give when gently squeezed, and a strong peach aroma. Those are usually the bestindicators of ripeness and juiciness,” Chrestensen says. 

Don’t forget to use your nose when finding that perfect fruit. 

“Peaches are also very aromatic when they are ripe. It can be intoxicating when walking down a row of peach trees in August,” Wilson adds.

Peaches and Cream Coffee Cake   Makes 12 servings

Photo Courtesy Peach’s Restaurant

Carol Stapinski, owner of Peach’s Restaurant in North Conway, says they often make peachcentric recipes, including peach almond pancakes and peach-stuffed French toast. 

“Peach pancakes and the stuffed French toast is also a favorite. Our recipe for the peaches and cream coffee cake is always requested, above all else — we are famous for our peaches and cream coffee cake,” Stapinski says.

Ingredients

1½ cups flour 

2 packages vanilla pudding (not instant)

2 tsp. baking powder 

2 eggs 

1 cup milk

⅓ cup oil

3 cups peaches (canned is also good to use)

⅔ cup peach or apple juice

1 cup sugar

16 ounces cream cheese, softened

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix first six ingredients. 

Pour into a 9-inch by 13-inch pan. 

Top with peaches (if using canned peaches, drain well).

Mix juice with cream cheese and sugar and top onto peaches.

Add cinnamon to top and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. 

Recipe by Peach’s Restaurant, 2506 White Mountain Highway, North Conway  /  peachesnorthconway.com

Peaches’n Pop Culture 

Photo Courtesy Mack’s Apples

Take a few minutes to think about peaches, and you’ll discover endless references to them in pop culture, art, food and history. 

Labor of love: Georgia’s claim to the peach fortune began with horticulturist Samuel Rumph, who cultivated the Elberta peach in 1870.

All in the family: Peaches and their close cousins, nectarines, are only one gene away. The peach fuzz is the difference between them.

Art: In 1881-1882, the French Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir was so enamored with the fruit that he spotlighted the peach in a still life called “Pesche,” with several round, ripe peaches with varying red, orange, pink and yellow hues placed neatly in a bowl. 

Beauty: Peach-centric skincare products are often given props for the vitamin C they pack in. 

Color: A couple of years ago, “peach fuzz” was Pantone’s color of the year — not just the season. 

Taste: In 2020, “the world’s sweetest peach” was sold in Fukushima, Japan for $7,000. The Brix scale, which measures sweetness, placed this gem at 32 degrees Brix. (The average is around 11-15 degrees Brix.)

Peaches to go: Every summer, The Peach Truck lands in New Hampshire to deliver pecks of peaches straight from Georgia.  

TV: The tight-knit 90’s gang from “Beverly Hills, 90210” often hung out at “The Peach Pit.”

Music: The band The Presidents of the United States of America, with the the song “Peaches,” lauded the peach’s life cycle, from ripening in a country orchard to getting canned in a factory downtown to being the star in “millions” of recipes.

Check Out These Local Peach Spots:

Butternut Farm 
195 Meaderboro Road, Farmington
butternutfarm.net

Mack’s Apples
230 Mammoth Road, Londonderry
macksapples.com

DeMeritt Hill Farm
20 Orchard Way, Lee
demeritthillfarm.com