Should You Be Eating Peaches or Nectarines This Summer?
Many people prefer one over the other. Some say that nectarines are juicier or peaches sweeter (or vice versa). The truth is, the biggest difference lies in the fuzz. Read on as we demystify the peach vs. nectarine secret.
Here's the difference between a peach and a nectarine.
Surprise! The nectarine is actually a type of peach, except that it has a smooth skin compared to a peach's velvety one. Basically, one tiny recessive gene keeps it from being a peach. Peaches originated in China, and were cultivated commercially in North America starting in early nineteenth century. In California in the 1940s and '50s, nectarines were bred to be heartier than earlier varieties and became more available to the general public.
Does it matter?
A peach’s signature skin has a protective layer of fuzz and is often removed before making jams or baking into pies as it can get tough when cooked.
A nectarine's skin is a little thinner, and therefore better for crisps or tarts if you don't feel like having to go through the extra step of peeling.
Other than that, it doesn't really matter at all. When fully ripe in peak season (which is July and August, though you can find them in the late spring to early fall), both peaches and nectarines have juicy flesh with a honeyed sweetness. Either one can be clingstone (where the pit adheres to the fruit's flesh) or freestone (where the pit can be easily removed).
Both types of stone fruit (a classification that includes cherries and plums) are delicious raw, whether in a salad or simply eaten out of hand, standing over the sink.
Whichever you try, take a sniff when choosing: the tastiest fruit should have an intense sweet smell. Ripe fruit gives slightly with gentle pressure. Look for pink-blushed creamy white to red-blush yellow skin and avoid any with soft spots or an overtly greenish tinge near the stem.
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