PEACH
ORIGINS

The peach (Prunus persica vulgaris) orginated from China, where it has been grown for over 5,000 years; it spread into Syria, Persia (from which it took its Latin name) and Greece, where it was already known in the 4th century BC. It arrived in Italy in the first century BC, while Spanish colonisers introduced it to America.

PEACH CULTIVATION

Annual peach production worldwide amounts to some 11 million tons. The main producers of nectarines (a hybrid of different peach strains) are China, Italy, Greece, Spain and Turkey, accounting for about 70% of the total world harvest. The crop is also widespread in the Middle East, Northern and Southern Africa, Canada, South America and Oceania.
Over 50% of Italy's annual production, equal to approximately a million tons, originates from two regions: Emilia-Romagna and Campania.

THE PEACH CALENDAR

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Harvest period              
Market presence              


CONSUMPTION AND STORAGE

Italy's annual pro capite consumption amounts to about 11 kilograms. The consumer perceives the peach as the summer fruit par excellence, on account of its characteristic taste, crunchy pulp and thirst-quenching juiciness.
The peach is also energy boosting and high in nutritional value, in addition to which it has an important diuretic role and contributes to regulating the intestine. It is particularly suitable for those with arthritic problems and gout.
The pulp is used in the cosmetics sector to make refreshing face packs and the juice in lotions for the treatment of skin blemishes. As well as being eaten fresh, nectarines can be used to make jams, jellies, syrups, juices and ice-creams.
At a temperature a little lower than 0° and a relative humidity of 80-85%, nectarines can be kept for a period of 15-20 days.


NUTRITIONAL AND ENERGY INFORMATION FOR PEACH
(100 grams of product)

Edible part91%
Water90.7g
Proteins0.8g
Lipids0.1g
Glucides6.1g
Fiber2.1g
Energy27kcal
Sodium3mg
Potassium260mg
Iron0.4mg
Calcium4mg
Phosphorus20mg
Niacin0.5mg
Vitamin C4mg


RECIPE

Baked Peaches

Ingredients: 8 ripe peaches, 1 glass of wine, 1 glass of syrup.

Just scald the peaches, peel them and arrange them in layers in a pyrex dish; add a glass of dry white wine and a glass of syrup. Place the dish in the oven and bake for ten minutes at 200 C°. Drain the peaches and arrange them on a serving dish, previously covered with strawberry sauce, and garnish each fruit with a mint leaf.

YELLOW PULP PEACHES

Yellow-pulp peaches are available on the market from May to September. The most well-known varieties in Italy of yellow peaches are the Maycrest, Springcrest, Springlady, Springbell, Fayette, O'Henry, Elegantlady, Flavorcrest, Glohaven, Redhaven and Suncrest.

THE CALENDAR FOR YELLOW PULP VARIETY

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Harvest period              
Market presence              


MINIMUM QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS

Appearance
Entire, sound, clean fruits.
Homogeneous ripening and appearance.

Colour
Skin: on yellow-orange surface, evident red colour.

Shape
Round, slightly oval, at times asymmetrical.

Flavor and texture
Yellow, yellow-orange coloured non-fibrous pulp, with red pigmentation around the stone.
Good flavour, scented and slightly acidulous.

Refraction index
Up to July 15th>=10
From July 16th to July 31st >=10.5
After July 31st >=11

Sale period
From June 15th to September 10th

Storage
At a temperature of 8°C, this fruit can be stored for 72 hours from arrival at the warehouse.
At temperatures of 3-4°C, this variety can be maintained up to 5 days from the arrival of the goods.

Handling
Fruit that is fairy resistant to handling.
Can be stacked as long as this is done with due care.

Things to avoid
Avoid turning the crates of fruit over on the counters in order to avoid bruising.
Take care that customers do not over-handle the fruit and avoid rapid changes in temperature, which create condensation on the fruit and shorten their life-time.
WHITE PULP PEACHES

White-pulp peaches are available on the market from June to September.
The particularity of this fruit is that it is very scented.
The more wide-spread varieties in Italy of white peaches are Iris Rosso, Paola Cavicchi, Maria Delizia, Maria Bianca, K2, Michelini and Duchessa d'Este.

THE CALENDAR FOR WHITE PULP VARIETY

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Harvest period                
Market presence                


MINIMUM QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS

Appearance
Entire, sound, clean and regularly shaped fruit.
Homogeneous ripening and appearance.

Colour
Skin: on yellow-green surface, an evident red colour in different shades, from bright to dark.
Pulp: white, in some cases with veins of red and an intense red colour around the stone.

Shape
Round, symmetrical and well-formed.

Flavor and texture
Firm, non-fibrous pulp, very flavourable with intense scent, slightly acidulous.

Refraction index
Up to July 15th>=10
From July 16th to July 31st >=10.5
After July 31st >=11

Sale period
From June 15th to September 15th

Storage
At a temperature of 10-12°C, this fruit can be stored for 96 hours from harvesting.
The varieties Iris Rosso and Maria Bianca (early) can be conserved at temperatures of 1-2 degrees for 5-7 days, while the other (late) varieties can resist up to 15 days at the same temperatures.

Handling
Delicate fruit, incorrect handling may make the skin brown and damage the pulp.
Therefore, this fruit should not be sold in crates or packaging that entail considerable handling.

Things to avoid
Do not stack the product to avoid damage.
Due to the delicate nature of the fruit, a small quantity should be displayed at a time in order to avoid over-handling by customers.
The displayed product should also be rotated frequently.
Rapid changes in temperature are not particularly harmful.
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