The Best Time To Buy Peaches Starts Earlier Than You Think

Do you dare to eat a peach? Even if the poem paraphrased here, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," isn't one of your favorites, a fresh ripe peach is a thing of beauty. But peaches, like many fruits and vegetables, are treats that are best enjoyed seasonally — at least, when you're eating them fresh. But if you find yourself craving peaches as winter turns to early spring, you might be in luck. While "peach season" is sometimes associated with May through August, it actually starts as early as March and can stretch into September, thanks to the diverse climates and growing seasons that span the United States.

While southeastern states like Georgia (alias "The Peach State") are famous for peaches that ripen around May, you can get your hands on a perfectly good peach much earlier if you head one state to the South. In Florida, which has a much warmer climate in parts than Georgia, peach season can start as early as March and end in May. Meanwhile, peaches are also grown out West, where Idaho peach season starts in July but can last into September. The upside to all these complex growing schedules is that, somewhere in the United States, peaches are in season for over half the year.

Once you've acquired your bounty of seasonal peaches, the next step is to eat them, right? Well, while peaches are delicious raw on their own (and no judgment if that's how you prefer yours), they're also a versatile cooking ingredient. Fresh peaches can be wonderful when baked into a slow cooker bourbon peach cobbler, sliced over a dish of vanilla ice cream, blended into a Bellini cocktail, or even served with greens, cheese, and a vinaigrette as part of a tangy and refreshing salad. You can also grill your peaches to serve with chicken, for a rich, sweet-meets-savory combination, or use them to upgrade baked beans.

On the other hand, if you have a glut of fresh peaches, you might be hoping to preserve some of them into treats you can enjoy after peach season has ended. If that's the case, why not freeze a few peaches and use the rest to make some preserves? Peach preserves are a delicious way to make your peaches into something that can be enjoyed well after peach season ends, on a slice of toast or as the filling in a cookie. If you prefer a savory peach recipe with a bit of a kick to it, you can even try making peach hot sauce, which can be especially good with habanero peppers for the heat.