Nutritious and versatile, peaches can be enjoyed fesh, added to fruit salads, or cooked with meat and poultry disches. They can also be baked, grilled, broiled, or pouched to create pies, cobblers, and other desserts.
While there are hundreds of varieties, peaches are usually classified into one of two categories:freestone, with a loose, easily removed pit, or cling, in which the stone is enmeshed in the fruit's flesh. Freestones are mostly sold fresh, while clingstones are reserved for canning, freezing and preserves.
Fresh peaches are a low-calorie source of antioxidants and vitamins; a medium-size fruit contains only 35 calories, approximately 535 I.U. of vitamin A, and 7mg of vitamin C (just slightly more than 10% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). They are high in fiber, especially pectin, a soluble fiber that is instrumental in lowering high blood cholesterol. Canned and frozen peaches contain lower levels of vitamin A and C and are higher in calories than the fresh; a cup of sweetened frozen peaches contain 235 calories, compared to 190 in those canned in heavy syrup, and 110 in juice-packed brands.
Ounce for ounce, dried peaches contain the most calories, because it takes 6 to 7 pounds to produce 1 pound of the dried. Ten dried peach halves provide 310 calories; on the plus side, they are also a more concentrated source of various essential nutrients. Those 10 halves provide 2,810 I.U. of vitamin A, 1,295mg of potassium, and 5mg of iron. After eating dried peaches, brush your teeth to remove their sticky residue; it can create dental problems. Dried peaches often contain sulfites, a preservative that produces allergic reaction in susceptible people.
Peaches may produce allergic reaction in people with allergies to such related fruits as apricots, plums and cherries, as well as almonds. They also contain salicylates, which may provoke a reaction in aspirin-sensitive people.
If you buy firm peaches, placing them in a paper bag at room temperature will hasten the ripening process. Unless they are going to be eaten within the day, store ripe peaches in the refrigerator; they will keep for 3 to 5 days.