Ripening peaches at Dry Creek Peach & Produce
The Dry Creek Peach & Produce farm stand opened last weekend, signalling the official start of the local peach season. The stand is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. This year’s harvest is off to a slow start, with varieties ripening a few weeks later than usual. The beloved Arctic Gem, to my palate the best peach in the world, won’t appear until late July or even early August. But there are plenty of varieties to enjoy before then, each with their own delicious qualities.
Local peaches, picked when ripe, have a short shelf life so you need to enjoy them within a day or two. When you find yourself with too many peaches to enjoy right away, make peach chutney–there’s a link to the recipe below–and store it in the refrigerate instead of canning it. It will have a more pure peach flavor and will keep for several months, if you can resist devouring it.
The farm stand is located at 2179 Yoakim Bridge in Healdsburg, between Dry Creek and West Dry Creek Roads.
Here are some of my favorite peach recipes from the Seasonal Pantry archives. If you have a favorite recipe using peaches, tell us about it here.
White Peaches with Prosciutto, Arugula & Burrata
Oven-roasted Chicken with Honey, Garlic & Fried White Peaches
Burrata with White Peach Chutney
Grilled Chicken with White Peach Chutney and Toasted Walnuts
