Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Cherries are highly perishable but can be held in cold storage for up to 14
days at 32 to 35°F (0 to 2°C). By maintaining high humidity but preventing
free moisture from accumulating on the fruit, you can help extend shelf life.
Peaches and Nectarines
For home use, allow peaches and nectarines to fully ripen on the trees in or-
der to obtain maximum flavor and the desirable texture and firmness. You
can use several indicators to judge harvest maturity. As with other fruits, the
underlying ground color changes from green to either yellow or white, de-
pending on the flesh color of the variety. The fruits will round out, losing the
flat side typical of peaches and nectarines. The flesh softens, and the fruits
become aromatic, sweet, and juicy.
Fully ripe fruits are too soft to allow much handling or shipping and typ-
ically arrive at the market bruised, overly soft, and with unattractive skins.
For that reason and the fact that the first fruits at the market can bring
premium prices, some growers tend to pick the fruits too early, when their
size, texture, and flavor resemble those of a baseball.
For distant markets, pick fruits about 3 to 6 days before they are fully
ripe. You will be able to judge this with a little practice. For markets close to
home, pick the fruits when they are still firm and just before they are fully
ripe. Peaches and nectarines bruise very easily and must be handled with ex-
treme care throughout the harvest, packing, and shipping steps.
Unlike cherries, where an entire tree is harvested at one time, you only
pick the peaches and nectarines at the optimum harvest maturity. Small
fruits remain on the trees to continue ripening. This means each tree will be
picked at least several times, and generally more.
If the fruits will be processed, commercial growers often use mechanical
harvesters to reduce labor costs. Mechanically harvested trees must be
trained to specific canopy structures to allow the fruits to fall into catch
devices and to avoid damage to the tree limbs caused by the mechanical har-
vester. Mechanically harvested fruit is transported very quickly to the pro-
cessing facility to prevent bruises from developing.
