Nothing screams summer more than biting into a ripe juicy peach, which is why August is declared as National Peach Month.
Cherry Hill Farms is one of the many peach suppliers in Idaho. It distributes peaches grown in Caldwell to grocery stores like Walmart and Costco.
Because peaches are an Idaho agricultural staple, here are seven fun facts about Idaho peaches from Cherry Hill Farms Manager over peaches, Ben Rowley.
- Western Idaho has the right climate and altitude for growing peaches.
“A lot of different places you can't grow because in the spring it will freeze your blossoms out. But given the freeze time and the freeze temperatures in this area of Western Idaho, Treasure Valley area, we're able to grow on the hilltops and produce pretty good crops,” Rowley said. - The peaches start blossoming in June and grow until September.
“In the early seasons of the year, you have buds that grow and then you have blossom time, which is mid-June and then they'll grow from there,” Rowley said. - The peaches are ready to eat when a knife can cut through it smoothly.
“We do a knife cut by how you push the knife through it. If it crackles, it's green. If it cuts smooth then it's ripe. Then we go off color and kind of a feel and a smell and a taste. It doesn't taste good. It's not ripe yet,” Rowley said. - Peaches can’t grow in conditions that are too hot, or too cold.
“If it's a warm climate, you know, it tends to grow peaches pretty good, but once you start getting above 85, 90 degrees, the trees start shutting down and it's hard to get good sizing of our fruit,” Rowley said. - The biggest, brightest peaches taste the best, but hard peaches can soften over time.
“When somebody gets a hard peach, at the grocery store, there's something that you can do. Put a cloth over it and two or three days it'll be ripe,” Rowley said. - Buying locally grown peaches allows you to know more about where they came from.
“A lot of times the fruit that sits on a truck for days can go bad and deteriorate with time. With that local fruit, you can get produce that's fresh, that hasn't been a long time on the road or in the cooler,” Rowley said. Cherry Hill Farms is hosting Peach Days for all to come and check out the orchard, take wagon rides, pick up some peaches and try peach desserts on August 23 and 24 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Apricot Lane in Caldwell.
“Bring your family. We are very family-oriented. We are a family farm. This is something to strengthen the family and to get out and away from work and enjoy some time,” Rowley said.For more information about Peach Days, visit cherryhillfarms.com