Peaches Are Having a Glorious Season. Here’s How to Make the Most of It.

Welcome to our summer produce series. Every week until the end of August, we’re highlighting the most in-season fruit or veggie of the moment, as handpicked by the experts at Natoora. You can learn more about the company and how they work with farmers in our first piece of the series. And if you’ve been loving this series, check out Natoora founder Franco Fubini’s upcoming book, In Search of the Perfect Peach, available for pre-order now. The book celebrates learning how to follow flavor so we can restore a food system that celebrates growers, preserves nature and promotes nutrition.

There are few greater pleasures in life than biting into a perfectly sweet, juicy, ripe peach. I love their flavor so much that I even appreciate artificial peach things, like those sugar-coated gummy peach rings. But nothing beats the real thing — and unless they are frozen peach slices to be used in smoothies year round, the only way to eat the fruit is when it’s perfectly in season. And apparently, this has been a very good year for peaches and stone fruit in general.

“Plenty of local stone fruit is thriving,” says Natoora brand manager Phoebe Creaghan. “Jake and Ben [of Scholl Orchards] are picking yellow and white peaches as well as yellow and white nectarines for us in Bethlehem, PA. After a challenging local season last summer (a late spring frost killed most Northeast blossoms), this summer is proving to be a stellar time for peaches and nectarines.”

Peaches, of course, are delicate. But with proper handling and storage, eating them is one of summer’s greatest joys. Here’s how to get the most out of your peaches, courtesy of Natoora:

• What to look for when shopping: Blushed skins with deep yellow, juicy flesh and an intensely sweet flavor. Preferably they have some give if squeezed, though they can ripen off the tree.

• How to store for maximum freshness: If unripe (very firm, signs of green on skin), leave out of the fridge until ready (soft). If ripe, keep in the fridge.

• How to use: Raw, roasted, grilled and poached in both sweet and savory applications.

The Recipe

Peaches are a perfect food eaten on their own — I especially love one for a mid-afternoon snack, maybe with a double espresso. Of course, they are also wonderful baked into a pie or galette or used to top ice cream. But peaches have their place in savory dishes, too. Take this caprese salad with peaches, from Dirty Habit at Hotel Zelos in San Francisco, which replaces the standard tomatoes with the fuzzy stone fruit.

“The Dirty Habit Caprese Salad features locally-sourced fresh peaches and California mozzarella, offering a bright and refreshing taste of local fare,” says Jenna Bailey, area food and beverage director for Z Hotels San Francisco. “This dish is elevated with our exclusive Dirty Habit private barrel bourbon, used in the balsamic glaze reduction.”

For anyone, like me, who can’t get enough of a satisfying sweet-salty combo, there are few better ways to celebrate peach season. Now get to your farmers market this week while this of-the-moment ingredient is still at its prime.

Peach Caprese

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 24 fl. oz. balsamic vinegar
• 12 oz. white sugar
• 12 fl. oz. bourbon
• Kosher salt
• 1 large ripe peach
• ¼ tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 lb. fresh mozzarella
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Bourbon balsamic glaze reduction (recipe below)
• Flaked sea salt and fresh black pepper
• 4-5 sprigs fresh basil leaves, julienned
• 3-4 sprigs fresh mint leaves, julienned
• 5 Tbsp. pistachios, crushed

Directions

• For the bourbon balsamic glaze:
• Add balsamic vinegar, sugar and bourbon to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until it reduces by about two-thirds, 15 to 20 minutes. Salt to taste.

• To assemble the salad:

1. Remove the pit from the peach and cut it into half-inch-thick slices or wedges. Add the peaches to a bowl and mix with the lemon juice, olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Refrigerate until well chilled.
2. Drain the mozzarella if necessary and pat it dry. Use a sharp knife to cut it into 1/4-inch-thick slices and add salt and pepper to taste.
3. On a serving platter, decoratively arrange slices of peach and mozzarella, drizzle with the bourbon balsamic glaze reduction, and top with pistachios, basil and mint.