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Peach Varieties Guide - Characteristics, harvest dates, and uses for eating, home canning, freezing and preserving- which peaches to pick and why!

Varieties of Peaches - Sorted by Ripening Date -
for Eating Fresh, Home Canning, Freezing and Preserving

(for a list sorted by typical ripening/harvest dates, click here.)

Early season typically means June in the South, July in the North (and colder areas).

Mid Season usually means July.

Late season is August in most areas.

Of course, there are many seasonal variations, weather plays an effect, micro climates at the farm, so ALWAYS contact the farm early to find out when the peaches will be ripe at the specific farm that interests you!

 

For photos of most of these peaches see this UC Davis page.

Name	Fruit size	Stone	Flesh color	Skin color	Harvest dates	Flavor	Notes
Florida Prince	Medium	Semi-clingstone	Yellow	Yellow	Very Early	Good	Medium to large peach. Brightly colored with a crisp, sweet flavor balance.
Babcock	Small to medium	Semi-freestone	White		Early	Tart-sweet.	Self-pollinating. Chilling Requirement 250-300 hours below 45°F
Coronet	Medium	Semi-Clingstone	Yellow	Yellow	Early	Good
Desert Gold	Medium	Clingstone	Yellow	red-blushed yellow skin	Early	Good	very low chilling hours required (200).
Early Amber	Medium	Freestone	orange-yellow	dark red-blushed yellow skin	Early		Flesh is medium-firm.
El Dorado	Medium	Freestone	Yellow	red-blushed yellow skin	Early	Excellent	Medium size peach with; yellow flesh is rich flavored.  Full-size peaches from a miniature tree!
Flordaking	Large	Clingstone	Yellow	red blush over yellow skin	Early	Good
Garnet Beauty	Medium	Clingstone	Yellow	Yellow skin	Early	Good
Gold Dust	Small to medium	semi-Freestone	Yellow	mottled and streaked red skin	Early	Excellent	550 Chilling hrs. Self-pollinating
June Gold	Medium	Clingstone	Yellow	Yellow	Early	Good
May Pride	Large	Freestone	Yellow	Red skin	Early	Good	Flesh is sweet with a slight tang.
Newhaven	Medium	Freestone	Yellow	Yellow	Early	Very good	Similar to Redhaven, but a bit smaller and less acidic. Good for freezing and canning, too.  Freestone. Ripens in late July. Self-pollinating
Rio Grande	Medium	Freestone	Yellow	red blush over yellow skin	Early	Very good	Juicy with delicate flavor.
Ruby Prince	Medium	Clingstone	Yellow	Yellow skin	Early	Good
Southern Sweet	Medium	Freestone	Yellow	yellow and red skin	Early	Good	Tree is genetic dwarf.
Stark Saturn donut	Medium	Freestone	White	white skin with red blush	Early	Good	medium-sized donut peach. Flesh is low acid, mildly sweet.
Strawberry Free	Medium	Freestone	White	white, pink-blushed skin	Early	Excellent
Tropic Snow	Medium	Freestone	White	Pale white with red skin.	Early	Excellent	One of the best white peaches for warm climates. The fruit is very juicy, mildly aromatic and has a bright flavor that is sweet and a slightly tart.
White Lady	Large	Freestone	White	white skin with red blush	Early	Excellent	Among the best of the low acid, high sugar, fresh market white fleshed peaches
White Nectar	Large	Freestone	White	white skin with red blush	Early	Excellent
Cardinal	Medium	Freestone	Yellow	bright red over yellow skin	Early-midseason	Very good
Dixie Red	Medium	Semi-clingstone	Yellow	red skin and light fuzz	Early midseason	Good
Eva's Pride	Medium	Freestone	Yellow		Early midseason	Good	Medium to large peach with yellow skin; yellow flesh. Good flavor.
Harken	Medium	Freestone	Yellow	red skin	Early midseason	Very good	Ripens a few days after Redhaven . Sweet, flavorful fruit, non-browning flesh. One of the highest-rated peaches for Western Washington. Dessert/cooking/freezing. 800 hours. Self-fertile.
Pix Zee	Large	Freestone	Yellow	red-blushed yellow skin	Early to Midseason	Good	The tree is a genetic dwarf.
Red Haven	Medium	Semi-freestone	Yellow	Golden-yellow skin with red blush	Early to Midseason	Excellent	Non-browning, sweet yellow flesh is firm and smooth textured. Excellent for canning, freezing, and fresh eating. Redhaven is the standard by which all early peaches are judged. The tree is vigorous and early bearing. 950 hours. Self-fertile.
Springprince	Medium	Clingstone	Yellow	Yellow	Early midseason	Good
Sun Haven	Medium	Clingstone	Yellow	bright red over gold skin	Early to Midseason	Good	Rich, sweet flavor. Typically in mid- to late August.  flesh resists browning. A perfect peach for pies.
August Pride	Large	Freestone	Yellow	red-blushed yellow skin	Midseason		Chilling Requirement less than 300 hours below 45°F
Baby Crawford	Small	Freestone	Yellow	slightly blushed golden orange skin	Midseason	Excellent
Bonanza II	Large	Freestone	Yellow	red over creamy white skin	Midseason	Very good	The fruit is improved from the original 'Bonanza'. The peach is the most adaptable of all fruit trees for home gardens
Bonita	Medium to large	Freestone	Yellow	light yellow skin with a deep red blush	Midseason	Excellent	sub-acidic
Cary Mac	Large	Freestone	Yellow	Yellow skin	Midseason	Very good
Contender	Medium	Freestone	Yellow	Orange	Midseason	Very good	Very hardy variety, perfect for northern gardens, Disease-resistant to bacterial spot. Cold-hardy. Self-pollinating.
Earlihale	Very large	Freestone	Yellow	dark red skin.	Midseason	Good	The tree requires a pollinizer.
Elberta	Large	Freestone	Yellow	Golden yellow fruit blushed with red	Midseason	Excellent	Firm, rich, sweet, yellow flesh. Excellent for fresh eating and canning. Hardy and productive. Low (850) chilling hours needed. Self-fertile. Popularly grown in Georgia.
Fairhaven	medium to large	Freestone	Yellow	yellow with red cheek (sides)	Midseason	Good	The fruit are round. The flesh is yellow, with red at the pit, very firm, and moderately fine textured. Fairhaven is freestone, resists browning, and has a good flavor, traits that make it ideal for freezing and canning. typically, mid-August.
Fantasia  (Nectarine)	Large	Freestone	Yellow	red skin	Midseason	Excellent	Excellent firmness.
Fantastic Elberta	Large	Freestone	Yellow	blushed-red deep golden skin	Midseason	Good	Large peach with slightly tangy flesh.
Flaming Fury	Very large	Freestone	Yellow	blushed-red deep golden skin	Midseason	Good
Flavorcrest	Large	Freestone	Yellow	red-blush over yellow skin	Midseason	Excellent	Firm, yellow flesh has fine texture..
Fortyniner	Large	Freestone	Yellow	red blushed yellow skin	Midseason	Good
GaLa	Medium	Freestone	Yellow	reddish blush skin	Midseason	Good	Cold hardy freestone is juicy and ideal for eating, canning or freezing.
Galaxy (donut)	Medium	Freestone	Yellow	Yellow skin	Midseason	Very good
Garden Gold	Medium	Freestone	Yellow	Yellow skin	Midseason	Good	Tree is genetic dwarf.  Ripe 2 weeks after Elberta, more vigorous than other miniatures.
Glohaven	Large	Freestone	Yellow	Yellow	Midseason	Good	Brightly colored, smooth (almost without fuzz) skin. Firm flesh. Superior for canning and freezing. 850 hours. Self-fertile. Later bloom, less susceptible to frost damage.
Golden Jubilee	Medium to large	Freestone	Yellow	bright red skin	Midseason	Good	Cold hardy.
Halehaven	Medium to large	Freestone	Yellow	partially red over greenish yellow skin	Midseason	Very good
Harko	Medium	Clingstone	Yellow	Red skin	Midseason	Excellent	Nectarine with good quality and excellent flavor. One of the highest scoring nectarines in DWN fruit tastings. Cold hardy Canadian variety that is tolerant of bacterial spot and brown rot.
Harmony	Large	Freestone	yellow changing to bright red-orange at the stem end	orange skin with dark red cheek	Midseason	Good	Large, round fruit from Canada.
Harvester	Large	Freestone	Yellow	Yellow skine	Midseason	Large
Honey Babe	Small to medium	Freestone	Yellow with red blush	Yellow skin	Midseason	Excellent	Sweet flavored flesh. Excellent choice for home orchard. 400 hours or less. Tree is genetic dwarf.
Improved Elberta	Large	Freestone	Yellow	Yellow skin with a red blush	Midseason	Excellent	Introduced in 1907, also is known as Early Elberta, Gleason Elberta, Lemon Elberta, and Stark Early Elberta. . The flesh is firm and resists bruising. Fruit are good fresh, canned, or frozen, and they have a tangy flavor that's better than Elberta's. It is one of the few yellow varieties that ripen satisfactorily even when picked slightly green
July Elberta	Medium	Freestone	Yellow	red streaks over greenish yellow skin	Midseason	Very good	Firm, fine grained and very good flavor. Good fresh or canned.
Loring	Large	Freestone	Yellow	Yellow	Midseason	Very good	Large easy to pick peach, with a sweet flavor similar to the Harvester. This peach is great for eating, freezing, and canning. Midseason (mid- to late August)
Midpride	Medium to large	Freestone	Yellow	Yellow skin with red blush	Midseason	Good	The firm flesh has a distinctive orange flavor. It is good for canning.
Nectar	Medium to large	Freestone	White	pink to red blush	Midseason	Excellent	Sweet, juicy, and aromatic and excellent flavor.
O'Henry	Large	Freestone	Yellow	red-blushed yellow skin	Midseason	Excellent
Polly	Medium	Freestone	White	red-blush white skin	Midseason	Excellent	A winter hardy heirloom peach variety; withstands temperatures to -20 degrees F. . Very sweet, tender, juicy, white flesh.
Redglobe	Very large	Freestone	Yellow	Golden skin with red blush	Midseason	Excellent	Excellent sweet flavor. Red Goble is one of the most attractive peaches of the season. Excellent for fresh eating, canning, or freezing. 850 hours. Self-fertile.
Redgold	Large	Freestone	Yellow	Reddish skin	Midseason	Good	High-quality, firm flesh with good flavor.   (early August ripening)
Redskin	Medium	Freestone	Yellow	Yellow skin with deep red blush	Midseason	Very good	Multipurpose, great used fresh, canned or frozen.
Redtop	Large	Freestone	Yellow	Yellow with a red blush	Midseason	Very good	Good used fresh, canned or frozen.
Reliance	Medium	Freestone	Yellow	Yellow skin	Midseason	Excellent	Late blooming, which makes it cold hardy and frost hardy; yet produces early season. Sweet, flavorful yellow freestone. Best choice for climates having severe cold in winter and spring. Harvest 2-3 weeks before Elberta. Showy bloom. 1000 hours. Self-fruitful.
Roza	Large		Yellow	medium red blush	Midseason	Excellent	Good fresh or canned
Santa Barbara	Large	Freestone	Yellow, red near pit	red-blushed yellow skin	Midseason	Excellent	Excellent fresh
Snow Beauty	Large	Freestone	White	red-skin	Midseason	Excellent	Considered one of best flavored white-fleshed peaches.
Southern Flame	Large	Freestone	White	red-blushed yellow skin	Midseason	Good	Flesh is firm, crisp, and smooth. Good for eating fresh;. Tree is genetic dwarf.
Southern Rose	Medium	Freestone	Yellow	yellow skin and red blush	Midseason	Fair	Tree is genetic dwarf.
Springtime	Small-medium	Clingstone	White	Reddish with green ground color	Midseason	Good	Melting flesh, Standard Acid
Suncrest	Large	Freestone	deep red	deep red on yellow	Midseason	Good	The flesh is firm with good texture and flavor. Good for fresh use or canning.
Sunhigh	Medium	Freestone	Yellow	Bright red skin	Midseason	Excellent	The flesh comes off the pit easily. A large oval-shaped easy to pick peach, with a sweet flavor similar to the Loring. This peach is great for eating, freezing, and canning.  Considered one of the best varieties for canning or freezing.
Ventura	Small	Freestone	Yellow	Yellow with red blush	Midseason	Good	Small oblong peach, flesh is slightly acid.
Veteran	Medium to large	semi-freestone to freestone	Yellow	Yellow	Midseason	Fair	Round-oblate shape (flattened on the end)  Soft flesh, and . Fruit peel easily without scalding and have a rich flavor when canned, but fresh eating quality is only fair. Bruises easily, so better for U-pick operations and home gardens.  (late August).
Arctic Supreme	Large	Clingstone	White	red-over cream	Late-Midseason	Excellent	Self-pollinating
Fay Elberta	Large	Freestone	Yellow	red skin	Midseason to late season	Good	Slightly tart flesh.
Frost	Medium	Freestone	Yellow	red-blushed yellow skin	Midseason to late season	Good	tangy flavor.
Indian Free	Large	Freestone	Yellow red-tinged with deep red pit	greenish white skin with a  red blush	Late Midseason	Excellent	The all-time highest rated peach at Dave Wilson Nursery fruit tastings. Tart until fully ripe, then highly aromatic with a rich, distinctive flavor. Highly resistant to peach leaf curl..
J.H. Hale	Very large	Freestone	Yellow	golden skin with a bright red blush	Midseason to late season	Very good	Sweet, firm flesh. Requires pollination from another variety. Great for shipping and canning. A very popular late peach. 850 hours. Another peach or nectarine needed to pollinate.
Red Baron	Large	Freestone	Yellow	yellow skin	Midseason to late season	Good	Flesh is sweet and very good flavor
Rio Oso Gem	Large	Freestone	Yellow	bright red skin	Midseason to late season	Excellent	an old favorite heirloom, with  rich sweet flavor. Excellent for eating fresh, Desserts / Pies, Canning
Rubidoux	Large	Freestone	Yellow	Red over golden yellow-red stripes	Midseason to late season	Fair
Tropi-berta	Large	Freestone	Yellow with red blush	red-blushed skin	Midseason to late season	Good
Belle of Georgia	Large	Freestone	White	red over creamy white skin	Late	Very good	Heirloom variety
Cresthaven	Medium to large	Freestone	Yellow	golden skin	Late	Good	The firm flesh is juicy and resists browning.
Empress	Large	Freestone	Yellow	pink to red skin	Late	Excellent	Large peach with . Yellow flesh is sweet and juicy.
Fairtime	Large	Freestone	Yellow	pale red-blushed skin.	Late	Good
Golden Glory	Very large	Freestone	Yellow	golden skin with red blush	Late	Very good	Tree is genetic dwarf.  Has the largest fruited of any of the genetic dwarf peaches or nectarines, excellent yellow fleshed, freestone peach. Hardy to USDA Zone 6.
Halford	Large	Clingstone	Yellow	Yellow	Late	OK	Flesh is soft. Commercially used for canning.
Halloween	Large	Freestone	Yellow	red-blushed yellow skin	Late	Good	Large fruit with firm flesh. Tough to grow in backyards. Usually harvested around Halloween, hence the name
Indian Blood Cling	Medium	Clingstone	Yellow streaked with red	Red skin	Late	Good	Richly flavored; good for preserves;   Heirloom, brought over to Mexico by the Spanish in the 1500s. The skin resembles a beet: scarlet, tough, stringy, meaty, although pleasantly flavored and brisk.
Madison	Medium	Freestone	Orange-yellow and bright red near pit	bright red over orange skin	Late	Good	Flesh that is firm, fine textured with rich flavor; non-stringy, non-browning flesh use fresh, frozen or canned.
Pineapple Nectarine	Large	Clingstone	Yellow	red-blush skin	Late	Good	Traditional English nectarine. Its flavor  is somewhat reminiscent of a pineapple. It is very sweet, but with the characteristic tang of a good peach or nectarine.
Strawberry Cling	Large	Clingstone	White	white, mottled red skin	Late	Excellent	flesh is juicy, and excellently flavored; good for canning.
Summerset	Large	Freestone	Yellow	blush over yellow skin	Late	Fair	Good for canning or freezing, fair fresh.
White Heath Cling	Medium to large	Clingstone	White	White skin with a light red blush	Late	Good	Juicy flesh with good distinctive flavor; good for canning. Reliable and hardy for cold climates.

Stones or pits

Freestone: As its name implies, the stone is easily removed from this variety, making it a good choice for eating fresh. Harvest begins in late May and continues to October. This is the type most commonly found in your local grocery store. They tend to be larger than clingstones, with a firmer, less juicy texture, yet still sweet. They are excellent for home canning, freezing and baking purposes.

Semi-freestone: This newer type is a hybrid of the clingstone and freestone. It is good for general purposes, both fresh and canned. Also called semi-clingstone.

Clingstone: These are so named because the flesh clings stubbornly to the stone or pit. In the Northern hemisphere, this type is the first to be harvested, ripening May through August. The flesh is yellow, with bright red touches closest to the stone. They have a soft texture, and are juicier and sweeter -- perfect for desserts. This is the preferred variety for jellies, jams, and canning. Although clingstones are tasty eaten fresh, they are seldom found in the local market. The commercial industry uses clingstones for peaches canned in various levels of syrup.

Color of the peach flesh

Yellow - Most peaches have a yellow flesh which can range from a light yellow to an orange yellow or even streaked with red. Other yellow-fleshed peach varieties are primarily yellow but become red closer to the pit. Examples of yellow-fleshed peaches include cultivars such as "eLBERTA", "Autumn Gold," "Earligrande," "O'Henry," "Suncrest" and "Tropi-berta."

White - White-fleshed peaches are usually a variant of Asian peach trees. The flavor is almost identical, although many people say they taste sweeter. The skins are typically similar to yellow-flesh peaches, with yellow or red skins. Common white peach tree cultivars are "Babcock," "Nectar," "Belle of Georgia," and "Arctic Supreme."

Other Peach types

Donut Peaches - A relatively new group of peaches have flatter or saucer-shaped peaches that are shaped more like a doughnut. Donut peaches usually have a small clingstone pit. They taste good, but their flavor is no better than most other peaches; just marketing hype.

Nectarines are a genetic mutation of peaches that produced a skin without the fuzz. Essentially, that is the  only difference. Nectarine may have yellow or white flesh and clingstone or freestone pits. Common nectarine varieties include "Arctic Rose," "Harko" and "Panamint." Dwarf nectarine cultivars include "Nectar Babe" and "Southern Belle."
 

 Be sure to see our easy, illustrated how-to pages to make and preserve your own:

1. Peach picking tips
    
2. Now, get ready to preserve your peaches - It is VERY easy - especially with our free
    - peach jam instructions - they're illustrated and easy and our page on
    - how to make home canned peaches from fresh!
   - Or see here to freeze peaches instead!
   - make your own home canned peach pie filling to use in the winter
   - or how about peach salsa?
   - Peach chutney
   - Spiced peaches
   - peach butter
   - pickled peaches?
   -
    
3. Here are some great and easy peach desert recipes, like 
   Peach pie shown at right, below,
   or peach-blueberry pie
   and easy peach cobbler.

Growing Peaches - Peach Guides for Specific States and Regions

• AL - Suggested Peach Varieties for Alabama
• CA - California peach varieties to grow
• GA - Peach Varieties for Georgia;
  Growing peaches in Georgia
• SC - Best peach varieties for South Carolina
  Growing peaches Clemson University peach pages
• NJ - White and Yellow Peach Varieties for New Jersey
• NY - Peach and nectarine varieties for New York State
• OR - Peach and Nectarine Nectarine Varieties for the Willamette Valley (Oregon)
• VA - Peach and Nectarine Varieties for Virginia
• UT - Peaches for Utah

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Home Canning Kits This is the same type of  standard canner that my grandmother used to make everything from peachesauce to jams and jellies to tomato and spaghetti sauce. This complete kit includes everything you need and lasts for years: the canner, jar rack, Jar grabber tongs, lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel, labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball Blue Book. It's much cheaper than buying the items separately. You will never need anything else except jars and lids (and the jars are reusable). To see more canners, of different styles, makes and prices, click here!

Lids, Rings, Jars, mixes, pectin, etc. Need lids, rings and replacement jars?  Or pectin to make jam, spaghetti sauce or salsa mix or pickle mixes?  Get them all here, and usually at lower prices than your local store! Get them all here at the best prices on the internet!