While Red Haven peaches definitely rule the Michigan peach market, I try to ignore them as I search for other varieties. One of my recent discoveries has a tie to the Red Haven. Garnet Beauty are a peach that is actually a sport variety of the Red Haven. A sport variety is whenever a new variety of fruit develops from an already existing tree. This could happen from damage to the tree or from a number of other things. The fruit is different enough from it’s “parent” to be considered a new variety. The Garnet Beauty was discovered at an orchard owned by Garnet Bruner in Ontario.
This peach is considered a semi-freestone. That means it depends on the year and the ripeness of the peach to determine whether the pit easily comes off the flesh. The ones I had the flesh came mostly off the pit, but there was a little bit left on. They ripen about 10-14 days before Red Havens.
My Experience with this Peach (Rating Scale 1-10)
Acidity: 7
Peach Flavor: 6
Sweetness: 6
Juiciness: 7
Overall Feeling: An overall good peach. It was acidic with a decent flavor. Not my favorite peach, but not a bad one. I would buy them again.
Where is the best place to buy a good peach? Click here to read my article on shopping for peaches.