I’ll Never Buy Another Peach Without the “Brown Stem” Rule Again

If I’m ever in a weird mood, one thing immediately perks me up: I simply remember that peaches exist. Much like that one classic Anne of Green Gables quote (“I’m so glad to live in a world where there are Octobers”), I’m so glad to live in a world where there are peaches. From mid-July to mid-September, I’m either outside or sink-side, eating blush-toned peaches with juice streaming down my forearm. 

Curious to know with 100% certainty I’m picking the best of the bunch, I consulted my favorite farmer and produce-picking guru, Alfonso (his tip for buying the best cucumber changed my life). It might be easy to get distracted by squeezing, sniffing, and prodding, but there’s a simpler, more intuitive way to find the best peaches, according to Alfonso: Take a peek at the color of the stem. Seems easy enough, right? 

With this new tip in tow, I scoured four farmers markets and grocery stores hoping to get lucky with the best of the bunch. I bought 15 peaches to test out Alfonso’s theory. Here’s how it went.

A green stem is the telltale sign that a peach was probably picked a bit too early. Green might mean “go!” while driving, but it’s not the case with the beloved stone fruit. Take a look at the stem on these peaches, for one. See that there is a green ring around where the stem peeks out of the fleshy cleft of the peach? That’s a solid indication it won’t be quite as juicy (or sweet!) as some other peaches in the produce section. 

If you somehow find yourself with these less-than-ripe peaches, don’t fret! I’ve stored rock hard peaches in a brown paper bag overnight on the countertop (which helps trap the ripening gas ethylene), and had for those peaches to be soft and ripe by morning. 

But what if you want a deliciously ripe peach, like yesterday? Seek out the peach that no longer has that bright green ring at the base of the stem, and appears to be more beige or solidly brown all around. That means the peach was allowed to ripen a bit longer on the tree before being harvested. Brown = “Go!” in this case. Wild, right? 

Best of all, checking out the stem is a solid rule for more stone fruits, like nectarines, as well other fruits, including apples and avocados. Green at the top = stop there, buddy.

I’m so used to testing a peach by giving it a gentle squeeze, but Alfonso has yet to lead me astray. After I loaded myself up with a literal armful of peaches, I sliced through a few green-stemmed peaches first — and, yes, definitely not ready! Its flesh was more crunchy than juicy, more tart than sweet. 

Those less-than-ripe peaches would still have a great career by being grilled or baked, but I had my sights set on a real eat-over-the-sink, change-your-shirt-even juicy peach. So I grabbed two of the browner-stemmed peaches, slicing through in hopes they’d make the cut for a peach caprese salad.

From the first plunge of my knife, I knew I’d found some winners. Each slice was ripe, sweet-floral-tart, juicy, and ready to toss with a bit of spicy olive oil and a fruity vinegar (I like Graza’s Drizzle Finishing Oil and Acid League Meyer Lemon Honey Living Vinegar), along with basil and avocado. The salad is essentially an edible version of summer.

This article originally published on The Kitchn. See it there: I’ll Never Buy Another Peach Without the “Brown Stem” Rule Again